The Next Best Thing
by sphinx005
Summary: UNDER CONSTRUCTION chapters 1-11 so far When you can't be with the one you want you take the next best thing. PortmanFultonOC mainly fic but loads of other Ducks action too. I don't own Mighty Ducks characters featured
1. The New JV Player

Watching him play with her daughter she couldn't help but wonder what might've been if things turned out differently. If the accident that left her pregnant and alone had never occurred.

To clarify her feelings about the way her life had turned out she needed to go back.

All the way back to the first time she met her first love... _Dean Portman_.

* * *

"Hey Allie, have you checked out the new guy? You know the new JV hockey player" Hayley Law asked with a look in her eye that said she was in complete lust.

Allie Taylor shook her head and tried not to roll her eyes. "I assume you're talking about Dean Portman. I guess you could call him cute, but he seems like he has an even bigger ego than Rick Riley. I mean did you see that stripping stunt he pulled?" she questioned. She was fully aware that she was pretty much the only female at Eden Hall who didn't think that Dean Portman's "penalty box striptease" was the best thing ever.

Hayley sighed "Oh yeah, what a body!" she exclaimed grinning from ear to ear. "What I wouldn't give to be on the JV squad right now. Imagine being on the bus with that!!" she added dreamily.

Allie had to laugh at this, "Hayls, we don't actually travel on the bus with the teams remember?" she pointed out.

Allie was the co-captain of the Varsity Hockey Team Cheerleading squad with Traci Ryan. Hayley and Allie hadn't really been looking forward to their next practice since Traci pretty much dumped the captain of the Varsity team, Rick Riley for Luis Mendoza, a member of the JV Hockey team following Varsity's humiliating loss to the JV team in the showdown the previous Friday night. Clearly, tensions between the two teams were now at an all-time high.

Hayley giggled "Oh yeah, I must have been dreaming that part" she admitted guiltily.

Allie shook her head smiling. Hayley was hopeless when she had a crush. She pulled her History textbook out of her locker and shoved into her bag ready for the next class.

"Hey Allie" Scott "Scooter" Vanderbilt greeted coming up beside Allie and Hayley.

"Hey Scooter, close game Friday" Allie said smiling at him. They had dated for 8 months the previous year and now they were close friends.

"Yeah, too bad we lost though, I honestly thought Rick was gonna throw Cole through the locker room wall. He was so pissed!" Scooter laughed. Rick and Cole were two of the meanest players on Varsity and they had made no secret of their dislike for the JV team.

"I can imagine" Allie said truthfully. Although Cole was bigger than Rick, Allie had seen for herself the strength he could muster when angry. The last time he got that angry, it had ended up with a guy in a coma for 3 weeks.

"Was good of Charlie to pass the puck to Goldberg and give him the glory. I could never ever see anyone on our team doing something like that" Scooter commented.

Allie nodded in agreement "Yeah, that was really nice of him. Hey I almost forgot, what's this I hear about you and the JV Goalie?" she teased him. All the cheerleaders had been gossiping over the weekend about Scooter kissing the JV team's female goalie on the cheek following the game.

Scooter blushed a little, "She's really cool" he said simply.

Allie ruffled his hair "Aw Scooter's got a crush on another goalie, how sweet!" she laughed.

"Shut up!" he said pretending to be offended.

"Oh see now Scoot that really hurt" she joked shutting her locker.

"Yeah Scooter you'll have to apologise for that one" Hayley piped up. She had been listening with interest to their conversation. It had always amazed her at how Allie and Scooter could still be such good friends after being a couple. The part where they were talking about Julie Gaffney was particularly intriguing to her, especially since Allie was actually happy for him rather than jealous.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He said putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a friendly hug. "I gotta go anyway we're meant to be having fittings for our new uniforms this morning. I'll catch up with you later" he said walking off.

"New uniforms?" she questioned turning to Hayley.

Hayley looked at her with a blank expression. "Don't ask me" she replied shrugging.

"C'mon lets go" Allie said slinging her bag over her shoulder.

They passed Traci Ryan on the way to History class. She was leaning against the wall obviously upset about something whilst her new boyfriend, Luis Mendoza was trying his hardest to comfort her.

"Should we ask now or should we wait til later?" Allie whispered to Hayley as they approached.

"Later" Hayley replied quickly and the two girls tried to stifle their laughter. Traci was a nice enough girl but her intense interest in playing games with boys often got her into more trouble than it was worth. They quickly walked past pretending to be absorbed in their own conversation.

"Oh my god there he is!" Hayley exclaimed grabbing Allie's arm.

"Huh?" she asked before realising what Hayley was talking about "Oh" she added in a flat tone. Dean "Mr Striptease" Portman himself was standing outside their History classroom door.

"You think he's in our class? God I hope so" Hayley almost squealed.

"God I hope not" Allie replied bewildered at her friend's reaction to the newest JV Enforcer. She'd met the other JV Enforcer Fulton Reed before and he seemed quite nice, even though he was extremely shy and barely said two words to her but Portman seemed different. He seemed like he was full of himself, especially when it came to girls and hockey. She felt a little guilty for judging him too quickly but there was something about him that just rubbed her the wrong way and she couldn't place her finger on it until...

"Hey babe" he greeted her as she walked past him to enter the classroom.

She ignored him and continued walking _if I just ignore it hopefully it will go away_ she thought clenching her fists. She really hated being called "babe" by guys who didn't even know her name. Sure she was blonde and a cheerleader but it certainly didn't mean she was a ditz who would go out with anybody who called her babe.

"Hey I was talking to you" he pulled up beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

She calmly grabbed his hand and pulled his arm off of her and turned to look up at his face. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise. I was so sure my name wasn't _Babe_ when I woke up this morning. Hayley did I change my name?" she asked her friend who was watching in disbelief at the intense sarcasm currently dripping from her best friend's mouth.

Hayley couldn't bring herself to speak and just shook her head. What she would give right now to have Dean Portman chatting her up the way he was with Allie right now.

Allie turned back to Portman who was also looking at her in disbelief.

"Right so now we have that cleared up would you mind going away now?" she shot him one final glare before taking her seat.

Portman just stared after her surprised until he was snapped out of his trance by Fulton bursting out laughing. "Smooth Portman, real smooth" he managed to get out.

"Oh shut up Reed" he said smirking a little. That was the first rejection he'd gotten since being at Eden Hall and he enjoyed every second of it, which he found a little odd.

He spent the remainder of the lesson staring at the back of her head wondering what she was really like. He had seen something he really liked in the fire behind her green eyes when she'd glared at him, it was something that told him she was worth getting to know better.

* * *

"Allie are you insane?" Hayley asked as they were walking out of class.

"Probably, depends on why you're asking though" Allie replied with a smile.

"You know why" Hayley scolded. She couldn't believe how Allie just pushed Portman away from her when its obvious he was interested. If it was her then she would have been his in an instant.

"He just annoys me that's all. That and being called 'babe' by someone I've never met before just doens't do it for me" she explained.

Hayley was about to say something when she was cut off by Courtney Field, another Varsity squad cheerleader. "Hey guys you'll never guess what I just heard" she said excitedly, her blue eyes lighting up as they walked down the hall.

"What?" Hayley said getting just as excited as Courtney was. She was such a sucker for gossip.

"Come closer guys, its meant to be a big secret until the official announcement" she said standing in between the two so she could whisper.

Hayley and Allie stopped and leaned towards her to hear what she was saying.

"So, Cindy heard the Dean talking to Mr Riley and they've bumped Traci back to JV squad. She's gonna be so pissed when she finds out!" Courtney revealed.

"I think she might already know, we saw her with Luis and she was pretty upset about something" Allie reported.

"So Allie, looks like you're Captain all by yourself now" Hayley said patting Allie on the shoulder.

"Oh great" Allie said sarcastically. She never really wanted to be co-captain of the squad with Traci in the first place but the others convinced her she was the only one who could stop Traci from making them do lame "stripper" routines to cringe-worthy pop songs.

"So, next routine to Slipknot. We can run around in scary masks!" Courtney joked in a fake evil voice making the other two girls laugh as they continued walking.

"Yeah, I wish, then it'd be my ass being bumped back to JV!" Allie laughed at the thought of the Varsity squad doing cheers to Slipknot in masks. She could picture the little kids in the stands crying because they were scared.

"We all know why she got bumped right?" Hayley commented when the laughter had died down a bit.

Courtney and Allie nodded. "Rick" they said in unison.

"Exactly, god he is such a jerk. Can't stand losing both the game and Traci to JV so he gets daddy to apply pressure to the Dean to get her bumped" Hayley said quietly as they approached the cafeteria doors.

"What'd you expect though, daddy couldn't revoke JV's scholarships so he goes after what he can. If you ask me, I think they've more than proven their worth around here. They played pretty well on Friday night, JV that is, not the Rileys" Allie said.

Courtney and Hayley nodded their agreement understanding her point. The girls filled their trays and headed towards their usual table.

"You know who I think is adorable?" Courtney piped up once they had sat down.

"If you say Dean Portman I swear to God I'll shove that apple down your throat" Allie warned. She was sick of hearing how gorgeous the female population at Eden Hall thought Dean Portman was. He was just one guy for crying out loud.

Courtney laughed "Oooh someone has issues!!" she said ducking to avoid the scrunched up napkin Allie threw at her.

"But no, I wasn't going to say him" Courtney laughed when she saw Hayley glare at Allie and Allie visibly relax when Courtney said it wasn't Portman "I was gonna say Dwayne, you know the Cowboy. His accent is so sexy" she continued staring past Allie over at the JV table where Dwayne was sitting.

"Good, so which one's Dwayne?" Hayley asked turning around to see.

Allie and Courtney smiled at each other "Duh, the one in the cowboy hat" Courtney responded causing Allie to crack up laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mel Watts asked. Mel was another Varsity cheerleader who had just arrived at the table.

"Explaining to Hayley what a cowboy looks like" Allie explained turning around to see Dwayne smile shyly in their direction.

Her face soon dropped when she noticed Dean Portman wink at her. She merely rolled her eyes at him and turned back to Mel.

"Oh I almost forgot, Coach Wilson wants us in the gym at 2 for new uniform fittings" Mel reported.

"What's with all the new uniforms?" Hayley asked. "Didn't Scooter say he was getting fitted for new ones too?"

Allie nodded "Yeah, but it's a good thing, my skirt is so damn short now I'm in danger of my butt hanging out!" she complained making the other girls laugh.

Allie was the only cheerleader on the squad that hated the uniforms being so short. She'd much rather wear shorts or pants than a skirt. The other girls liked the advantage it gave them against non-cheerleader girls when it came to guys. They found that most guys couldn't resist a cheerleader in a short skirt.

"Oh Allie, I know one JV player that wouldn't want you to wear a longer skirt!" Hayley started before quickly shutting up when she saw the glare she was receiving from Allie.

Allie hoped the other girls hadn't heard that comment as she gritted her teeth and said "Shut up or I'll make _you _wear it!"

"What JV player?" Scooter butted in gesturing that he wanted to sit down. Allie scootched over in her seat so they could share.

"Never mind, just Hayley being mean" Allie explained as she moved her fries closer to Scooter so that he could share them.

"Why aren't you sitting with Julie?" Allie asked cautiously glancing at the JV table where Julie and the other female hockey player Connie were staring at her and Scooter sitting so close together.

"I don't think the guys on the team like me that much. I think that Portman guy wants to kick my ass" he confessed.

"Don't worry about him, he's such a dickhead. If he touches you _I'll _kick his ass" Allie offered patting Scooter's arm. He wasn't exactly a wuss but he definitely liked to avoid violent confrontations.

"Wow, that will do wonders for my reputation! Captain of the Eden Hall Varsity Cheerleaders being my own personal bodyguard!" he said placing his arm around her shoulders causing both of them to laugh.

"So I guess you've heard about Traci then" Allie leant in and whispered. She wasn't sure if Traci was present at the table and didn't want to make her feel any worse than she already did.

"No, what? Why are we whispering?" Scooter whispered back with a grin. Cheerleaders did strange things sometimes.

"Because it's meant to be a secret!" Allie whispered a little too loudly and had now attracted the attention of Mel and three other girls who didn't already know.

"Oh right, go on then" Scooter leaned in even closer.

"Riley had his dad bump her back to JV. How shitty is that?" she whispered.

"HE WHAT?" Scooter almost yelled forgetting it was meant to be a secret.

"SSSHHHH!" the cheerleaders listening scolded him but it was too late, they now had the attention of most of the cafeteria.

* * *

"Who is that girl?" Julie asked Connie. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous, Scooter was leaning in closer to her and eating her lunch. Was she his girlfriend? She hoped not. She was really beginning to like Scooter.

"I'm not sure, I've seen her around though, I think she's captain of the Varsity cheerleaders" Connie replied patting Julie's arm to comfort her when she noticed her shoulders slump.

"Great, as if I can complete with the head cheerleader" she said sadly watching the two of them whisper together.

"Oh come on Jules, I doubt he'd kiss you after the game if she were his girlfriend. Besides don't you think she would have tried to scratch your eyes out by now if they were together. Maybe they're just friends" Connie tried to make her friend feel better.

"Yeah I guess" Julie replied quietly still watching the other table.

"It's an evil cheerleader conspiracy, I'm telling you" Averman announced upon seeing the other cheerleaders crowd around Scooter and the head cheerleader. "They're plotting our doom. Varsity couldn't beat us so they're sending in the cheerleaders" he said and was greeted with a pile of French fries being thrown at him from different people at the table.

"Thanks a lot guys, waste my lunch why don't you" Goldberg complained making the table laugh.

"HE WHAT?" they all heard Scooter yell before he was scolded with a big "SHH" from the cheerleaders.

"Wonder what that's about?" Connie commented to her boyfriend Guy Germaine.

"Well obviously a guy's done something to the poor little cheerleaders" Russ butted in with a scowl on his face. He still hated pretty much everything about Eden Hall including the cheerleaders. Hockey, the Ducks and Coach Orion were basically the only things he didn't hate.

Fulton glanced at Portman who was still watching the table with interest. _Surely they can't be talking about Portman can they? _Fulton couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble his friend had gotten himself into this time. He knew Scooter was one of the nicer Varsity players but he was still friends and team mates with the nastier ones like Riley and Cole. Sure the prank war had been fun but Fulton was kind of relieved that he didn't have to look over his shoulder all of the time anymore in case Varsity were going to pull another prank on him.

"Hey I'm gonna go over there and find out what's going on" Portman whispered to Fulton.

"Are you crazy? Allie was not impressed with you this morning. I highly doubt she'll warmed up to you now" Fulton warned.

"So she has a name, why didn't you tell me that earlier? And besides who said I was going over there to see _her _anyway? Her friend seemed pretty impressed with me, I might just go and talk to her friend instead" Portman argued not fooling anyone.

Fulton just shook his head as Portman got out of his seat to approach the cheerleaders table.

"I bet ten bucks that she either ignores him or yells at him" Charlie piped up next to Fulton.

"No way man, I'm not betting against the inevitable" Fulton said watching as Portman ran his hands through his hair and went to make his move.

"Oh man this is gonna be so damn funny" Russ laughed from his seat next to Guy earning giggles from majority of the Ducks table except from Connie and Julie who just looked confused.

Unfortunately for Portman, Allie had seen Traci sitting quietly with Luis on the other side of the cafeteria and had decided to go and talk to her. Just as Portman was about to sit next to her to strike up a conversation she stood up and turned to walk off. Seeing him sit down she said "See ya" and headed over towards Traci and Luis.

"Aw man that gotta hurt!" Russ laughed and high-fived Charlie who was about to burst into a fit of laughter. Even Connie and Julie had smirks on their faces.

Portman just stared after Allie in disbelief. "She'll come around eventually, she never stays mad for too long" a female voice brought Portman's attention back to the table he had just sat down at.

"Huh?" he said snapping out of his trance.

"Allie, she never stays mad at anyone for long. She says it takes too much effort" the brunette he recognised as Mel explained.

"Yeah but I wouldn't call her babe anymore, she really hates it" Scooter added his bit in eyeing Portman. He wasn't sure why Portman had taken a sudden interest in his best friend and he wanted to make sure Portman wasn't going to hurt her.

"Yeah, what's it to you anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in to the Catlady?" Portman retorted ignoring the stifled laughs coming from the other cheerleaders.

"I know more about her than you will ever know Portman" Scooter said getting up from his seat and walking over to the Ducks table to sit next to Julie.

"What's his problem?" Portman asked.

"He's just protective of Allie, they're best friends" Mel filled in the blank for him.

"Just friends huh?" Portman quizzed with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes just friends" Mel said rolling her eyes. This guy was hopeless.

Portman smiled to himself. _So there's hope yet_.

* * *

"Hey Trace" Allie said coming up behind the blonde girl.

"Hey" Traci replied glumly. Luis looked up giving Allie a cold stare. She chose to ignore it for the time being.

"I heard about JV squad. I'm sorry" Allie said softly sitting down next to Traci.

"I bet they're all laughing at me" Traci said self-consciously.

Allie shook her head "No, we're all pretty pissed about it. I can't believe Rick would stoop that low" she said "God he's such a wanker" she added earning a small smile from Traci and Luis.

"It's okay, at least I get to spent more time with Luis being on JV and all. Its just that I'm gonna miss you guys so much" she said tears forming in her eyes.

Allie reached over to give her a hug. "Hey, we're still friends. You can sit with us any time you want Trace and if those JV bitches give you any crap then we'll kick their asses together" she said laughing. Much like the hockey teams, the JV and Varsity cheerleading squads also did not get along.

"Thanks" Traci smiled feeling relieved to know she still had friends left.

"Well since it seems Traci's momentarily forgotten her manners I think I'll just introduce myself, hi I'm Allie" she said extending her hand out to Luis.

"Luis" he replied taking his hand in hers and shaking it.

They were interrupted by the bell ringing signalling that it was the end of lunch.

"I'll catch you guys later, nice to meet you Luis" Allie called over her shoulder.

"You too" Luis said slinging an arm around Traci getting ready to walk her to her next class.

* * *

"Dude how does he do that?" Portman asked Fulton amazed that Allie was friendly with Luis Mendoza who was dubbed the school's "Latin Lover".

Fulton shrugged "Dunno, I'm guessing he didn't call her babe though" he laughed at his own joke reminding Portman of Averman.

"Not funny" he said thumping Fulton on the arm. "Come on let's go" he said walking towards the door.

"Ow, that hurt" Fulton said quietly rubbing his arm as he followed.

* * *


	2. Eden Hall Ducks & the Dance

Allie was running through the crowded halls trying to get to her English class on time. She could have sworn she'd put her homework was in her locker this morning but sure enough when she went to get it, it wasn't there. She then had to race back to the dorms to look for it. Of course, it had been sitting on her desk where she'd left it.

"I'm such a moron sometimes" she scolded herself not seeing the person she was about to run into until it was too late.

"OW!" she exclaimed rubbing her shoulder. The impact had knocked her to the floor. "Sorry" she said to the person she had knocked down.

"Its okay Allie" the person said and she looked up to see that it was Josh Stiles, a member of the Varsity Hockey squad. He offered her his hand.

"Josh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going" she said accepting his offer to help her to her feet.

"Its okay, I think it hurt you more than me. You okay?" he asked with concern on his face.

Allie nodded 'Yeah, I don't think anything's broken" she said patting herself down to make a point.

Josh laughed "So I know how you can make it up to me" he started.

Allie raised her eyebrow at him. "Oh really?" she challenged. Josh was no Rick Riley but she didn't know what he was expecting.

"Come to the dance with me?" he finished giving her a hopeful smile.

Allie thought for a moment. She'd completely forgotten about the dance and was going to go alone anyway but maybe going with Josh as friends might be fun.

"Deal" she said adjusting her books in her arms. "Pick me up at 8 okay. Shit I am so late! Bye!" she said running off down the hall towards her English class leaving Josh smiling after her.

She entered her English class as quietly as she could. Mr Forbes was incredibly strict and if she was busted being late then it would mean detention after school.

Adam Banks was sitting at the table nearest the door and he quietly shifted his backpack to the floor so she could sit down undetected.

_Thank you_ she mouthed to him ignoring the amused looks from her classmates. Never before had a student successfully slipped into Mr Forbes' class late without getting caught.

And today was no exception.

"Miss Taylor so glad you could join us" Mr Forbes said without even turning around from the blackboard.

"Sorry Sir" Allie said feeling defeated as she sunk down next to Adam.

"I shall see you in detention after school" Mr Forbes continued writing on the blackboard.

"Yes Sir" Allie answered. "Damn it!" she whispered to nobody in particular.

"You almost had it. I swear the guy has eyes in the back of his head" Adam whispered back sympathetically.

"Yeah, almost. Hey thanks for helping me" Allie said giving him a smile.

"Miss Taylor, Mr Banks cut the whispering, you are on my time now" Mr Forbes scolded and the two students turned their attention back to their work.

Half an hour had passed by when the announcement speaker interrupted.

Attention all teachers and students. Dean Buckley requires all members of the Varsity Cheerleading Squad and all members of JV Hockey to attend a meeting in the gym in five minutes.

Allie and Adam looked at each other confused until Allie saw the clock. "New uniform fittings I think. Mel mentioned something about it being at two" she said stuffing her books into her bag.

"Well then lets go" Adam said brightly glad to get out of that stuffy classroom for a while.

"Want me to carry your bag?" Adam offered being the gentleman that his mother had raised him to be.

Allie shook her head "Nah that's cool. Thanks for offering though" she said amazed that there were still polite guys like Adam around.

"Hey do you know why we're getting new uniforms?" Allie asked Adam as they approached the gym.

Adam grinned "Yeah, we're now known as the Eden Hall Ducks" he said proudly.

Allie look confused "Really? I thought that was just a one off" she said.

"Nope, Dean Buckley liked the idea so much that he convinced the Board to get rid of the Warriors and keep the Ducks. Kinda cool huh?" he said feeling proud. Charlie was over the moon about the decision and of course it meant he was in his girlfriend Linda's good graces for a while to come.

"Yeah I guess, I mean it doesn't bother me either way" Allie said frowning.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked.

"Nothing its just that we've got to come up with new cheers now and is there anything all that inspiring that rhymes with 'DUCK'?" she said truthfully.

"I can think of a word" an all too familiar voice was heard behind them.

Allie rolled her eyes "If you want to keep both beans and the frank intact I wouldn't finish that sentence" she said walking off without turning around.

Laughter erupted from behind her and Adam turned around to see an embarrassed Dean Portman with the rest of the Ducks surrounding him in fits of laugher.

"Oh man I like that girl" Russ said wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Me too" Connie piped up between giggles.

Julie remained silent, sure that comment put Portman in his place but she wasn't ready to trust Allie yet, not until she knew for sure what was going on between her and Scooter.

"You're not having much luck with her are you man?" Fulton slapped Portman on the back sympathetically. As amusing as it was for him to watch his friend get constantly rejected by the one girl he truly wants it was still sad for Portman.

"She'll be mine, just gotta give her time" Portman said rushing to get the seat next to Allie. He didn't say a word to her as he sat down and kept his eyes on the Dean as he was talking. She rolled her eyes and tuned in to what Dean Buckley was saying.

"And so" the Dean continued "Can we have Cheerleaders to the left side of the gym and Hockey Players to the right side"

Allie stood up and walked past Portman to catch up with Hayley on the left side of the gym.

"So what did he say?" Hayley asked excitedly. She had seen Portman sit down next to Allie and was dying to know what he said to her.

"Nothing actually" Allie answered feeling eyes on her. She looked over to the right side of the gym and saw Portman looking at her. He caught her eye then quickly looked away.

"Nothing at all?" Hayley queried not quite believing her.

"Not one word. Didn't know he had it in him to be quiet for more than 5 seconds" Allie said hold her arms out to the side whilst the tailor wrapped the tape measure around her body.

"That doesn't sound like Dean Portman" Hayley said wondering what he was up to.

"Maybe he's finally gotten the hint" Allie said hopefully.

"Yeah maybe. Anyway what are you up to after this?" Hayley asked moving forward to have her measurements take.

"Detention" Allie said glumly.

"Serious?" Hayley asked surprised. Allie hardly ever got detention.

"Yep, late to Forbes' class. Adam tried sneaking me in but it didn't work" Allie replied smiling at the memory.

"Awww. Banksie's such a sweetie isn't he" Hayley said looking over towards the JV team where they were grumbling about getting their measurements taken.

"Yeah, he's really nice. I kinda miss having him on Varsity though" Allie said truthfully. All of the cheerleaders had taken Banks under their wing as their "little brother" when he first joined Varsity. They made sure that the other players in Varsity didn't mess with him simply because he was the new guy.

"Me too, he's like the most adorable thing ever" Hayley agreed watching as Banks stood talking to Dwayne.

"Those students who have afternoon detention have to leave now, the rest can stay if they haven't been fitted and those who have are dismissed" Dean Buckley ordered.

Allie was surprised to find all of the Ducks except Portman and Adam wander out the door headed for the detention room.

"They all have detention?" she asked Hayley on her way out.

"Looks like it" Hayley answered giving her friend a hug before they parted "Good luck" she added causing Allie to smile.

"Thanks" Allie said.

Detention hadn't been so bad and with all but two of the Ducks there it was kinda fun. She ended up sitting next to Fulton Reed who she swore blushed when she said hi to him.

"So why's the entire team in here?" she queried looking around at the Ducks. Even Julie and Connie were in detention.

"Prank on Varsity" Fulton said so softly she almost missed it.

"Wait, it was _you guys_ who did the fire ants stunt?" she said grinning. That had been by far the best prank pulled on Varsity ever.

Fulton nodded and they spent the rest of detention talking about how much the Varsity team deserved everything they got.

* * *

_**Before the dance- 4 days later**_

"C'mon Allie hurry up! Josh will be here any minute" Hayley complained as her, Courtney and Mel waited for Allie to find her shoes.

"I can't find my shoes!" Allie complained digging further into her closet trying to find the second shoe to complete the pair.

"Why is it she can never find her shoes?" Mel asked. It was a common occurrence for Allie to be running late because she couldn't find anything within that overflowing mess she called a closet.

"Because they make the closets in these dorms too damn small to fit all your stuff in" Allie yelled from somewhere in the depths of the closet.

"Aha – there you are you little bastard!" she exclaimed pulling the shoe out from under all the clutter holding it up triumphantly.

"About time" Hayley said only to have the said shoe thrown at her.

"Damn it Allie you're gonna lose it again" Courtney said side-stepping to avoid being hit by the shoe. They'd been waiting 10 minutes already and she was anxious to see if Dwayne would be at the dance.

"Has she lost her shoes again?" Scooter's voice came from the doorway. The girls looked up to see him with Julie standing in the hallway.

"Duh!" Mel laughed gesturing them to come into the room.

Julie walked in cautiously taking in the surroundings. The room looked pretty much like a dorm room except there were clothes strewn all over one side of the room together with various items from the closet that Allie had tossed behind her as she hunted for the missing shoe.

"Hey, not my fault I have too much stuff to fit in this tiny room" Allie protested folding her arms and making a fake hurt face.

"Aw that's okay sweetie we'll just get rid of some of it for you" Scooter teased picking up an armful of clothes as he pretended to throw them out of the window.

"Scooter NO!" Allie screamed grabbing his arms to stop him. All of the girls except Julie laughed. She still wasn't sure about what the nature of Allie and Scooter's relationship was and all she could manage was a polite smile. She hated being the jealous type but how could Scooter not be interested in the blond cheerleader, everyone else seemed to like her.

Scooter dumped the clothes onto a bed and walked back to Julie as Allie finally put her shoes on.

"Hey you must be Julie, I'm Allie" Allie said smiling at the girl. "You look great" she added truthfully. Julie was wearing a black strapless dress that ended at the knee with simple black shoes and hardly any jewellery.

"Thanks, so do you" Julie said suddenly feeling very plain against the four cheerleaders. Allie was wearing an aqua blue printed halterneck dress that came to the knee with strappy silver sandals and her long blond hair loose with waves.

"Thanks, oh and this is Hayley, Courtney and Mel" Allie introduced the other girls so Julie wouldn't be left out.

"Hi" Julie acknoweldged the other girls as a tall handsome guy with light brown hair and bright green eyes appeared in the doorway.

"Wow, do I have the right room? Why are there supermodels in here?" Josh commented making a slow wolf whistle at the five girls in the room.

"Shut up Josh!" Allie laughed giving him a friendly peck on the cheek.

"Scooter my man" Josh laughed connecting fists with Scooter like he did with all of his friends.

"Josh. Oh this is my girl Julie" Scooter said slinging his arm around Julie's shoulders.

Julie felt slightly flushed when he said she was his girl. She quickly glanced at Allie and was relieved to find that there was no sign of jealousy on her face at all, she was smiling brightly at them.

"Hi Julie, oh wait, Gaffney right? You're JV's goalie. You ever thought about moving up to Varsity? We could definitely trade Scooter in for you" Josh said.

"Hey!" Scooter protested and Julie laughed. Scooter's friends were quite nice once you got to know them a little.

"Ready to go?" Josh asked holding his arm out to Allie.

She laughed and linked her arm with his "Yep lets go" she said walking out of the room behind the rest of the crowd.

* * *

"C'mon guys we're gonna be late" Connie tapped her foot impatiently. Why she had agreed to go with Guy and the boys she'd never know. She was starting to wish she'd gone with Julie and Scooter to the cheerleaders dorms. Connie smiled as she remembered how horrified Julie was when Scooter said they had to swing by Allie and Hayley's dorm before the dance.

"Hey its not my fault Portman's taking too long" Guy whinged making Connie laugh. Portman had spent a good hour in front of the mirror making sure he looked good.

"Hey guys are we almost ready" Charlie walked into the room followed by his girlfriend Linda. "Eew what is that smell?" he asked wrinkling his nose up looking at Connie.

"Hey its not me, its Portman doing a Mendoza impersonation" she argued.

"Nothing wrong with wanting to smell nice for the ladies" Portman said with a huge grin on his face.

"Portman ever heard of overkill?" Linda asked opening a window to the relief of the others. He had used way too much cologne

"No such thing my dear. You see after you lot have been dancing for a while you're all gonna be stinking bad and I'm still gonna be smelling good" he said.

"Dude you know she's going to the dance with one of the Varsity players right" Fulton said remembering what Banks had told him earlier.

"So? He cant be with her all night" Portman said as the others rolled their eyes.

"Whatever man, lets go" Fulton said grabbing his army jacket and following the others out of the door.

"And denial is not just a river in Egypt" Connie whispered to Linda as they followed the Bash Brothers.

"I hear that" Linda agreed.

* * *

"Taylor, looking good" Rick Riley sidled up next to her his eyes lingering over her body.

Allie was too busy trying not to throw up at the sight of him thus said nothing in the hopes he'd get the hint and go away. She, like majority of the Varsity cheerleaders, really disliked Rick Riley.

"So, now that you're Captain what do you say that me and you get together some time and, well you know" Rick said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"I really don't think so" Allie said giving him a disgusted look before storming off. _Oh that is nasty!_ she thought.

Rick watched her walk away as Josh came up beside him.

"Did you get the stuff?" he asked.

"Relax, you're gonna blow it for the both of us if you keep that up" Rick scolded as he handed a small white bottle to Josh trying to be discreet.

"So how much should I use?" Josh asked pocketing the bottle. He could hardly contain his excitement. Rick had guaranteed this stuff would get Allie into bed with him.

"Two should do it" Rick said keeping his eyes on Allie. That bitch wouldn't know what hit her. "Shouldn't you be getting your date a drink now" he said snidely. After tonight she'd be begging him to go out with her since no one else would want such a tramp when they found out about what was going to happen later that night.

Josh nodded and walked towards Allie trying to downplay his smile. He'd be the one to go where Scooter was never able to.

* * *

"Have you seen her yet?" Portman asked like a small child waiting to see Santa Claus.

"Nope not yet" Fulton said trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice. Portman was obsessed and it was starting to wear thin with him.

"Lets get a drink" Portman said half dragging Fulton to the drinks table.

Fulton followed noticing Rick Riley staring at something. He followed Rick's eyeline and there she was.

"Holy shit" he whispered under his breath. There was Allie in a blue dress with her hair down. The light was reflecting off of her hair and it almost looked like gold.

Fulton nudged Portman and nodded in that general direction. "Wow" Portman declared rather loudly. Several girls giggled as they looked to see Portman and Fulton staring at something with their mouths hanging open.

"You know you'll catch a fly if you don't pick your jaws up" Connie laughed elbowing Portman in the ribs playfully.

"Maybe I wanna catch a fly" Portman retorted feeling a little pissed at Connie. She was always interrupting him at the worst possible times.

"Whatever" she said rolling her eyes.

Portman turned his attention back to where it was previously and looked disappointed to see Allie reach her arms around the neck of her date as they dance to the slow song that had just started playing.

"Connie, dance?" he asked as an idea started to form in his head. _Maybe she could be of some use afterall_.

"What?" Connie looked shocked. She'd never expected those words to come out of Portman's mouth. Even Fulton looked surprised.

"Just friends" he grinned sheepishly at her.

"Okay but if your hands start to wander I will make sure you never play hockey again" Connie warned as she allowed Portman to pull her out on to the dance floor.

"I promise I'll behave. Scouts honour" Portman said solemnly holding his hand up in the gesture.

"Pft, like you were ever a boy scout" Connie scoffed and followed him towards where Allie and her date were dancing.

Connie had to reach right up to get her arms on Portman's shoulders and he had to reach down so low to place his hands on her waist. It looked even more ridiculous as the two were dancing so far apart that you could fit another person in between them.

"Why are you two dancing? Where's Guy?" Charlie asked as him and Linda came up beside the pair. He spotted Allie and her date dancing next to them and added "Oh, right".

"Guy's in the bathroom" Connie answered shortly suddenly realising that Portman was just using her in an attempt to make Allie jealous. She thought about giving him a dressing down but then saw that it was having no effect on Allie whatsoever so she remained silent. Portman was probably suffering enough. The girl hadn't even realised he was dancing next to them.

The song was now coming to a close and Portman and Connie quickly let go of each other. _It had to be an 8 minute ballad didn't it!_ Connie thought as she scanned the crowd for Guy.

"You wanna get a drink?" Josh asked Allie as they let go of each other.

"Yeah" she answered accepting his hand and following him towards the drinks table.

Josh was wondering how best to distract Allie whilst he slipped the pills into her drink when Courtney came rushing up to them and did it for him.

_Thank you Courtney!_ he thought as he kept one eye on the girls and one on what he was doing.

"Allie, I'm gonna just do it!" she announced proudly.

"Do what Court?" Allie asked confused.

"Ask Dwayne to dance!" she said beaming.

"Good for you. You two would make a great couple" Allie replied smiling.

"Here you are" Josh cut in handing Allie a cup of punch.

"Thanks" she said taking a sip.

Josh tuned out for a while as Allie and Courtney chatted about how cute Dwyane's accent was and how they thought he'd make a great boyfriend as he was so nice and polite all of the time.

When the next slow song came on Courtney ran off to find Dwayne bringing Josh's attention back to Allie.

"Wanna dance?" he asked.

She shook her head "No, I don't feel too good" she said rubbing her head where a sudden onset of pain had formed. _Maybe its the lights_ she thought as they seemed to flash on and off around her. She tried taking a deep breath but that only made her stomach churn and suddenly she felt like she was going to pass out.

"Wanna go outside and get some air?" Josh asked slightly concerned. He was more worried about him giving her too much and she would pass out in the hall in front of everyone.

Allie nodded she was unable to talk anymore.

Josh led her towards the exit quickly giving Rick Riley a smirk as they passed him. "Remember our deal" Riley said sternly grabbing on to his arm momentarily.

Josh nodded "Give me 20 mins" he said leading Allie out of the hall.

* * *

"Where'd she go?" Portman asked frantically searching the mass of people. He had hoped to ask her to dance before the night ended.

"I think she left with that guy" Averman offered jumping back when Portman glared at him. _Oops, didn't think that one through_ Averman scolded himself.

"Oh" Portman replied glumly. "I'm out" he said making his way towards the exit. He didn't feel much like staying now.

"Later Portman" the group of Ducks chorused watching him leave.

"Man he's got it bad" Goldberg chuckled.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Josh asked as they walked outside.

Allie stopped and leant against the wall to support herself "I feel so tired" she said softly as if she didn't have the energy to speak any louder.

"Come on" Josh said putting her arms around his neck as if he was going to carry her but instead he pinned her to the wall and pressed his lips against hers.

She was too out of it to register what was happening, let alone resist.

* * *

Portman pushed through the doors and felt the cool night air on his face. He debated whether to just go back to his dorm or whether to hit the streets and see where the night took him.

He stopped short when he saw a guy and a girl against the wall kissing like there was no tomorrow. _Lucky them_ he thought bitterly and wondered where the hell his girl went.

He looked again and as the guy shifted slightly he caught sight of blonde hair and her blue dress. _Great! _Portman thought watching them sadly. _She really doesn't want me_. He was about to turn away when something grabbed his attention.

Her arms had slipped from the guys neck and hung limply at her sides. He looked harder and saw that her weight was being held up by his body entirely. _What the hell was going on?_ Portman wondered.

"Hey!" he yelled angrily charging over at the couple.

Josh jumped back startled and Allie's head slumped forward.

"Get the hell off of her!" Portman screamed curling his fists up.

"Get lost" Josh finally found his voice. He couldn't be found out. He would be in so much trouble.

"Make me" Portman said as Josh charged him.

A fight erupted and Portman got the better of Josh leaving him lying on the ground groaning. The dumb shit had actually thought he could beat Portman in a fight.

Panicked, Portman ran back to where Allie was now lying on the ground unconscious.

"Shit! What has he done to you?" he said softly as he checked her pulse and looked for signs of breathing. She was breathing and had a pulse but she wasn't responding to Portman's shouts.

"What's going on?" Scooter demanded as him and Julie rushed over. They had seen the fight break out from the doors and had hurried over to help.

"That bastard's given her something, she wont wake up" Portman said angrily.

"Should I get a teacher?" Julie asked concerned. She had no clue what to do.

"NO!" Scooter and Portman said at the same time.

"Let's get her back to the dorms. She might just need to sleep it off" Scooter said picking up Allie's hand bag.

"Good idea" Portman said scooping Allie up into his arms. She never stirred as he carried her all the way back to her dorm with Julie and Scooter following close behind.

"Just put her on her bed there" Scooter directed Portman as he frantically shoved the clothes he'd dumped on there earlier onto the floor.

Julie moved forward knowing she couldn't just let the girl sleep in her clothes. "Right you two out now" she ordered pushing Scooter and Portman towards the door.

"What? Why?" Scooter protested and Portman pouted.

"Because I'm getting her into something she can actually sleep comfortably in and you two do not need to be in here for that. She wouldn't be very impressed." Julie ordered shutting the door behind the two guys. She quickly opened it again.

"You can come back in a minute" Julie added before closing the door again and headed for the pile of clothes on the floor searching for something she could put on Allie. She stopped when she came across a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"These will do" she said to herself as she took Allie's shoes off and proceeded to take her dress off and put the shorts and t-shirt on her. She looked at the sleeping girl sympathetically when she caught sight of a few scrapes on her shoulders and arms where she must've hit the ground. _That's gonna hurt in the morning_ she thought checking to make sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere. Satisfied that she wasn't, Julie grabbed a hair tie from the dresser and pulled Allie's hair away from her face into a low ponytail. She knew how much of a hassle having long hair was sometimes, especially after sleeping with it left out.

"Okay you guys can come in now" she said opening the door and letting the boys back in the room. With the dress still in her hands she folded it neatly and placed it on the desk.

Portman and Scooter almost tripped each other over getting back into the room.

"Is she awake?" Scooter asked.

"No, whatever that guy gave her has really knocked her out" Julie said picking up the clothes off the floor and folding them into little piles. She knew that when Allie woke up in the morning cleaning would be the last thing she'd want to do.

They stood in silence for a few minutes not believing what had happened. The only sound in the room was Scooter's jaw popping as he got angrier and angrier about what was happening.

"Scooter, lets go get a bottle of water from the machine. Portman can look after her for a minute" Julie said gently knowing that if Scooter looked at his best friend in that state any longer he was going to explode.

"Okay" he said quietly allowing himself to be led out of the room.

Portman looked around the room and spotted a small chair in the corner. He dragged it over to the side of Allie's bed and gently tucked her in under the blankets. He sat down in the chair and watched her sleep.

Scooter and Julie returned to find Portman still in the chair fast asleep with his hand outstretched and entwined in Allie's. They put a blanket over him being careful not to disturb them before heading back to their own dorms for the night.

* * *


	3. Aftermath

Allie awoke the next morning to a throbbing headache and the sun shining directly in her eyes. "Ow" she said rubbing her head. _What the hell happened last night?_ She wondered how she got back to her dorm last night. The last thing she remembered was talking to Courtney about Dwayne.

She felt something shift in her hand. She looked over to see that Dean Portman was fast asleep in a chair beside the bed holding her hand. _What is he doing here?_ she thought pulling her hand back and waited for him to stir. It didn't take him long.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded wondering whether she should be mad or not.

"Mmph" was the sound followed by Portman rubbing his eyes. "Good you're awake. We were worried about you" he said looking around to find Scooter and Julie but frowned when he saw they were alone.

"Who's we?" she asked "and worried about what?" she said sharply realising she was not in the clothes she was wearing last night. _Who on earth was in here last night? _she thought feeling a little panicky. She didn't know Dean Portman from a bar of soap

"Scooter and Julie. Allie do you remember anything?" Portman asked standing up and stretching his legs.

Allie shook her head "Are you telling me something happened between us last night" she asked feeling afraid. _Oh god, what have I done? _She couldn't remember much about last night and she hoped she didn't do something stupid.

"Where's Josh?" Allie asked remembering he was supposed to be her date last night and she was still confused as to why Portman was the one now sitting in her room.

"Who cares" Portman said angrily causing Allie to jump.

"Portman what the hell is going on? Why won't you tell me anything?" she yelled feeling her headache worsen. Portman said nothing. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news.

She stared him down. He was going to tell her what went on whether he liked it or not. Portman shifted uncomfortably and sighed. He was going to have to tell her.

"Okay, but you're not going to like it" he finally said sitting down on her bed. Allie sub-consciously shifted away from him. Portman tried not to let the hurt show but realised she didn't know him and therefore didn't trust him.

"Just tell me" she said suddenly feeling very cold. She pulled her blanket around her tighter and took a breath, bracing herself for the news. Obviously it was something bad.

"I think that asshole slipped you something last night. I left the dance and saw you…… never mind" Portman said quickly. She didn't need to hear what Josh was doing to her. "And I noticed something wasn't quite right about it so I checked and you were unconscious. I carried you back here with Scooter and Julie and Julie got you changed and then I must've fallen asleep and here we are" he said waiting for her reaction.

Allie remained silent. She stared down at the floor as what Portman had just told her sunk in. They remained silent before she spoke "Did he……" she couldn't bring herself to say the rest of her question. She started shaking slightly and her eyes were wide with fear. She hoped to God nothing like that had happened.

"No, I'm pretty sure I got to you in time" Portman said reaching out and touching her shoulder.

Allie let out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding. _Thank God he got there in time_ she thought. However, her headache was forgotten momentarily as she thought about what that asshole had tried to do to her. _Where the hell does he get off thinking he can do things like that to people?_ she wondered.

"I'm going to kill him" she said suddenly. Fear was replaced by anger and it was now coming to a head. Portman retracted his hand afraid that she was going to lash out at him. She looked dangerous.

She leapt off the bed and bolted out of the room in search of Josh Stiles. She was going to kill him if it was the last thing she did.

"Allie wait!" Portman yelled jumping up and running after her. Allie wasn't listening as she picked up the pace running across the lawn towards the boys dorms complex. She'd completely forgotten she was barefoot.

"Allie, just stop" Portman said as he caught up to her and gently grabbed her arm.

"Let me go Portman or I swear to God you're going to be next" she replied trying to wrench free. At that point in time she meant every word of it.

Portman shook his head and gripped her arm a little tighter.

"I can't do that. I'm not going to let you get yourself in trouble over that asshole" he said "Besides, I gave him a pretty good pounding last night" he added hoping this would calm her down.

"What so you get to hit him and I don't?" Allie said finally calming down a little. Portman still hadn't let her go yet.

"Oh no, you'll get to hit him alright. Just not now" Portman promised gently tugging on her arm to lead her back towards her own dorm room.

Allie relaxed a little bit and started to following back in the direction they'd just come from. Several students had turned to see the JV hockey player and the Varsity cheerleader yelling at each other and were now wondering what they were up to, especially since the cheerleader was in daggy shorts and no shoes with her hair an absolute mess.

"Come on, lets get you back to the dorms. No offence but you look like crap" he said winking at her.

_Was wondering how long it'd take for him to revert back to his usual self _she thought and stuck her tongue out at him. "At least I have an excuse, I was drugged. You just normally look like crap" she teased trying to dodge him as he swooped forward and picked her up and stuck her over his shoulder fireman style.

Now this really got the attention of the other students.

"Put me down I can walk you know" she protested pounding her fists on his back.

"I know but its more fun this way" he said laughing. He was really enjoying being so close to her so he could therefore ignore her fists on his back. At least she hadn't tried to bite him yet like his sister does whenever he did this to her.

They reached her dorm room where Portman gently laid her back on the bed.

"Thanks doctor" she said sarcastically reaching for the bottle of water Julie had left beside the bed.

"You alright?" he said when he saw her wince a little.

She nodded "Headache's back" she said quietly.

"I'm not surprised you would've hit the ground pretty hard" he said stoking her forehead gently.

"Huh?" she said not understanding.

"You fell when I started laying into that dickhead" Portman explained.

"Oh. Wait, you supposedly come to my rescue but you're too busy beating the shit out of the douchebag to bother catching me?" Allie raised an eyebrow. "Pft, some knight in shining armour you turned out to be" she struggled to keep a straight face and Portman struggled to find a response to that. _Teasing him is too easy_ she thought.

"Um, sorry?" Portman finally responded.

"Relax, I'm just taking the piss out of you" she laughed.

Portman smiled shaking his head gently.

"Hey what's the time?" she asked suddenly.

Portman looked at his watch

"nearly eleven thirty" he answered double checking to make sure it was right. _Surely I couldn't have slept in that late?_ He thought.

"I'd better go. Fulton's probably having a heart attack right about now" Portman joked moving towards the door.

"Yeah, I wonder where Hayley is" Allie glanced at her roommates empty bed.

"I'll see you around" he said opening the door.

"Portman wait" Allie said getting up and walking towards him.

He turned around and she reached up and put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thanks" she whispered and kissed him on the cheek. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"Anytime" he whispered back and their eyes locked.

He moved in closer hoping that the kiss he had been waiting for was about to happen.

_Oh my god is he going to kiss me? She wondered. She did like him but she wasn't sure if she should be kissing him, especially after what happened._ Unfortunately the decision was made for her as she felt the nausea rising up to her throat.

Just as Portman was moving in for the kill she suddenly pulled away.

"Oh no" she said covering her mouth with her hands as she bolted past Portman towards the bathroom at the end of the hall.

_Great I blew it_ he said not realising she had rushed to the bathroom to be sick. He just thought she was running away from him.

He quietly closed the door to her room and made his way back towards his own room where he found Fulton and the girl he recognised as Allie's friend sitting on the floor playing Playstation.

"Dude where've you been? Its almost lunchtime" Fulton said without looking up from the screen.

"Has she admitted she likes you yet?" Hayley asked putting down her controller.

"Got you! I win!" Fulton declared triumphantly.

"Whatever" Hayley poked him and turned back to Portman.

Portman shook his head. "You don't know do you?" he said softly.

Hayley's eyes grew wide "Know what? Is she okay?" she asked worried about her friend. When she'd returned to her dorm last night she found Portman in the chair and Allie in her bed both fast asleep and holding hands. She'd just assumed they'd finally gotten it together. That's why she pounded down on Fulton's door and crashed in Portman's bed.

"I'd go see her" Portman said gently.

Hayley didn't need to be told twice. "I'll see you later Fulton and thanks" she said as she picked up her things and rushed out the door.

"Dude what's going on?" Fulton asked when Hayley had left and Portman filled him in on the details including the part where they almost kissed and she ran away from him.

"Man that sucks" Fulton said sympathetically.

"I know" Portman agreed crashing down on his own bed before going back to sleep.

* * *

The next week at school went by in a blur for Allie. Scooter, Julie and Hayley had stuck to her like glue throughout the week always ensuring that at least one of them was there to walk her to class or to her dorm.

Portman had been around too but he was like the silent bodyguard, barely saying two words to her. She knew he was embarrassed about what had almost happened between them but she didn't know how to fix it. She figured she'd just give him some time to come around.

She was sitting up in the stands as JV played their game against the Westbourne Tigers. They had their new uniforms on and they looked really good.

The Ducks were up 3-1at the end of the second period. Allie had seen Portman sneak a few glances at her during the first two periods and she had smiled and waved at him. At first he'd look away pretending he didn't see her but by the end of the first period he would smile back at her.

The players retreated to their respective locker rooms for the 'pep talk' by their coaches and mats were laid out on the ice for the cheerleaders to do their routines.

"Please welcome the Eden Hall Mighty Duckettes" the announcer announced and Allie and Hayley rolled their eyes.

"Gee how original" Hayley commented as the JV squad took to the floor.

"Hey there's Traci" Mel said waving at the blond girl down on the floor.

"Woooo go Traci!" she yelled and in no time the rest of the Varsity squad were yelling and cheering for their former teammate. Traci looked up at them and smiled. She had been incredibly nervous about her first time performing with the JV squad but trust her friends to make it a little easier for her.

"Thank god we don't have to perform tonight" Courtney commented "I can actually see Dwayne straight after the game" she said.

The Varsity Hockey team had gone on a two-week training camp at the insistence of Coach Wilson since they had a two game clearance on the State Championship playoffs. Coach Orion would have liked to have sent his team on a camp but unfortunately JV still had games to play.

"Or next week, I'm loving the break!" Allie said feeling glad that she didn't have to face Josh for another week and a half. She still felt like she was going to kill him on sight.

The girls turned their attention back to the ice as the boards were removed and the hockey players re-entered the arena.

The third period was rather brutal as the Ducks were receiving some hard checks from the other team.

The Tigers had the puck and were on a breakaway down the ice, Luis was struggling to catch the player but the player shot the puck at Julie before he could take him down. Julie made a nice glove save that had the Eden Hall crowd going wild.

"WELL DONE JULIE!" Allie yelled standing up. Over the past week her and Julie had become friendly and she quite liked the female goalie. She thought she was a perfect match for her Scooter.

At one stage Portman looked up at Allie in the stands and waved to her. He was confused when her smiled turned to a frown and she yelled something he couldn't hear.

"WATCH OUT DEAN!" she yelled ignoring the curious looks the other spectators around her were giving.

WHACK! Portman was checked hard into the glass by a Westbourne player who had cunningly seized his opportunity for payback on the Ducks biggest enforcer. The Westbourne player got two minutes for rough play.

Portman got up and skated over to the ref who nodded and blew his whistle. Portman was escorted to the bench where he pointed to his head before taking his helmet off. Coach Orion nodded and went to get the first aid kit.

"Oh my god is he okay?" Allie asked worried. She had seen Portman get hit hard before but he'd never had to leave the ice.

"He's a tough one, he'll be fine" Hayley said slightly amused at how Allie was mighty worried about someone she stubbornly claimed was a friend.

"Number 21 Dean Portman taken off the ice for the blood rule" the commentator announced over the loudspeaker. It was a rule of all sports now that if a player was bleeding he or she must leave the game immediately and was not allowed back in until the wound was completely covered. _(A/N – I don't know if this is an actual rule in US hockey but I know it's a rule in Australian Rules Football for safety reasons)_

"He must've cut himself somehow" Hayley said sitting back down.

Allie remained standing watching as Coach Orion and the team's trainer tended to Portman's injury. She only sat back down when she saw that he was about to take to the ice again indicating he was okay.

Mel, Courtney and Hayley smirked at each other and looked at Allie, each thinking the same thing – _she's fallen for him_.

The game ended and the score was 6-2 Eden Hall Ducks' way.

The players had a small celebration out on the ice before retreating to their locker room.

"We're gonna go get icecream, you coming?" Hayley asked Allie.

Allie shook her head "Nah I think I'm gonna go see if Portman's okay" she said collecting her jacket and bag and heading down towards the locker rooms suddenly becoming very aware she was alone. _Maybe I should go with the girls_ she thought but curiosity about Portman's 'injury' got the better of her. _Suck it up Taylor_ she scolded herself.

"Okay, have fun" Hayley called as Courtney suddenly decided she wanted to wait for the Ducks too.

"I'm coming too" she called "Catch you guys later" she said to Hayley, Mel and the other cheerleaders as they headed towards the arena's exit.

Allie involuntarily let out a sigh of relief which thankfully Courtney didn't hear. _God I'm so pathetic_ she told herself realising it was so silly to be afraid that Josh would come and get her when she knew he's away at a hockey camp for the next fortnight.

* * *

"C'mon Fulton hurry up!" Portman whined stamping his foot impatiently. Fulton seemed to be taking forever to get dressed after the game and Portman was getting sick of waiting. He wanted to see if Allie was still around.

"I'm hurrying, jeez keep your panties on" Fulton said rolling his eyes as he pulled his favourite army camo jacket on. "Right all done" he said pointedly grabbing his gym bag.

"About time" Portman complained rushing to get out of the locker room.

"So you gonna ask her out?" Fulton asked wishing that Portman would just hurry up and do it rather than driving him nuts going on about it.

"Ask who out?" a female voice interrupted and the two boys looked up to see Allie and Courtney outside the locker room.

"Her" Fulton indicated to Allie who immediately turned red and Portman elbowed him in the ribs giving him an icy glare.

"About time" Courtney said smiling at Portman who looked down at the floor wishing it would swallow him up right about then.

Before anyone could say anything else the locker room door opened and out came Dwayne. He grinned at Courtney and tipped his hat to her.

"Well howdy pretty lady" he said in his Texan accent making Courtney squeal in delight.

"Hi Dwaynie" she cooed giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Wanna get goin'?" Dwayne asked putting his arm around Courtney.

"Yeah, see you guys later" she said cheerily as she walked off with Dwayne.

"I'm heading off too" Fulton said quickly giving Portman a smirk before running off down the hall leaving Allie and Portman alone.

"Gee that was subtle" Portman laughed nervously re-adjusting his hockey bag on his shoulder.

Allie smiled as she looked up at him then suddenly frowned.

"How's the eye?" she asked reaching up to gently touch the skin surrounding the covered cut above his eye.

"I'll live, just a sharp bit in my helmet that cut me when I got checked" Portman replied trying his hardest to resist all temptation to pull her into him.

"I'm glad you're okay" she said taking her hand back and placing it down by her sides.

Portman smiled "Wanna take a walk with me?" he asked hopefully.

Allie hesitated before answering. A part of her wasn't so sure she should be going anywhere with him alone but a bigger part of her thought she could trust him so she went with it.

"Sure" she finally answered buttoning up her jacket adjusting her scarf.

"Lets go" Portman said taking her hand and leading her out of the arena.

* * *

"So you're from Chicago right?" Allie asked as they walked still hand in hand.

"Yeah the big smoke, what about you?" he asked.

"California" she said vaguely.

"What like LA?" Portman asked.

Allie shook her head.

"San Fran?"

"No"

"Well where then?" Portman was wondering why she wouldn't say.

"Promise you won't laugh" she said. She hated people thinking she was a spoilt princess who got everything she wanted growing up. Truth was she didn't care about money and she thats why she was happy to let the likes of Rick Riley think he was richer than she was.

"Promise" he said growing curious.

"And you can't tell anyone" she added.

"I promise" he said again.

"Newport" she said waiting for his reaction.

"Like the OC?" he said. Julie and Connie had both been obsessed with that show.

"Yes and if you start calling me Marissa I will kill you" Allie fake glared at him.

"You're much prettier than she is anyway" Portman said and they both blushed.

"Um, so why move to Minnesota, don't you miss the warm weather?" Portman fumbled to keep the conversation going.

"Dad got transferred when I was 10. I hated it here at first but then I met Hayley and decided I could handle the cold weather" Allie said.

"Yeah I was skeptical at first but as long as the Ducks are here I can deal. So what does your dad do?" Portman asked.

"Architect. He designed some celebrity's house and then the company offered him a senior position in Minnesota and he jumped at the chance. I think dad's always been a snow freak at heart" she said keeping her head down. She was still blushing from Portman's earlier comment.

"So how come you live in the dorms?" he asked confused. Not that he minded her living in the dorms, it meant she was around a lot more.

"Its an hour and a half bus ride from home to Eden Hall. Its just easier for me to live there" she replied.

"Well I'm glad you're here" he said smiling at her.

"Thanks" she replied.

They continued walking in silence for a few minutes before Portman spoke

"Being an architect would be kinda cool but I wanna be a lawyer like Coach Bombay" Portman revealed.

"Who's Coach Bombay?" Allie asked. She guessed he must've been their Coach before Coach Orion but from what Portman had just told her it sounded like he was more to them than just a coach.

"He was the coach for the Junior Goodwill Games. Well that's when I met him. Charlie says he created the Ducks back in Peewees and that they really sucked when they were just District 5" he explained.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember reading something about that in the paper. They beat some really good team in the finals" Allie said.

"The Hawks. Did you know Banksie used to be a Hawk til Bombay realised that he was in the residential zone for the Ducks?" Portman asked.

"No, so Adam wasn't really an original Duck" she said.

Portman shook his head "Nope, Fulton told me once about the time he decked Banks and his little Hawk friends for picking on the Ducks, said it was something he'd never forget and that it was totally worth it to see their little preppy faces all scared" he said laughing.

"They're cool now though right?" Allie said a little worried. Fulton was a big guy and could easily crush poor little Adam if he really wanted to.

"Yeah of course, we're a team" Portman said laughing. He thought she was so cute when she was worried.

He stole a glance at her in time to see her shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little" she admitted.

"Here" he said letting go of her hand to take his leather jacket off. He gently placed it around her shoulders and took the opportunity to leave his arm there.

"Thanks" she said snuggling into him a little and taking in his smell. She could smell Davidoff's Cool Water for men on him; it was one of her favourite scents.

"You smell good" she said moving in closer to him. He was so warm and comfortable.

"So do you" Portman replied wrapping his arms around her tighter. He couldn't have asked for a better night. The Ducks had won their game and here he was now with the girl of his dreams in his arms telling him he smelled good.

He kissed the top of her head lightly. "Come on, curfew's in twenty minutes" he said turning left and heading back towards Eden Hall Academy.

They stayed close together the entire walk until they reached her door.

"Well here we are" Portman said nervously. He was hoping that their first kiss would happen soon.

"Yeah, hey thanks for taking me for a walk it was nice" Allie said shyly.

"Anytime" Portman said leaning in closer.

Allie lifted her head slightly and moved towards him as well. Just as their lips were about to meet the door to Allie's room opened.

The two jumped back as if they had just been electrocuted and turned to see Hayley with icecream all over her clothes and in her hair.

"Oops, sorry guys" Hayley said smiling sheepishly. She knew she had just accidentally interrupted something.

"What happened to you?" Allie asked eyeing her friend's clothes.

"His bloody roommate is what happened" Hayley said.

Portman laughed "Never get into a food fight with Fulton, he is the master of throwing food"

Allie tried to suppress a smile. She knew Fulton was in for it now. He may have been the master at food fights but Hayley was the mistress of ass kicking.

"Yeah well he's gonna be the master of immobility after I'm finished with him" Hayley said pushing past Portman and Allie and heading for the bathroom.

"Good luck with that" Portman said laughing as Hayley turned around and jokingly gave him the finger.

"Ouch!" Allie laughed as they watched Hayley disappear behind the bathroom door.

"I'd hate to be Fulton tomorrow" Portman said turning back to Allie.

"Yeah" she agreed softly as Portman leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'd better go" he said as he pulled away. "I'll see you later" he said turning to walk away.

"Bye" she said softly watching him until he reached the end of the hall and turned out of sight.

She opened the door to her dorm and shut it behind her smiling as she made her way over to her bed.

"Oh his jacket" she said aloud as she realised she was still wearing his jacket. _Oh well _she thought to herself as she took it off and laid it on the chair_ gives me an excuse to see him again_.

Allie peeled her clothes off and reached for her pyjamas she kept under her pillow. Hayley always laughed at her when she wore the ones she had on. They were dark blue with bears dressed in karate outfits on them. She'd fallen in love with them when she saw them in a small Asian clothing shop in downtown Minnesota.

She retrieved her toiletries bag from her drawer and made her way towards the bathroom where Hayley was still in the shower washing the icecream out of her hair.

Allie got out her soap and washed her face.

"Allie! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you guys" Hayley said getting out of the shower. "Ha ha I love those bears!" she added.

"Its okay, maybe we'll get lucky third time around" Allie said taking out her toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Awwww so there's gonna be a third time then" Hayley teased taking her own toothbrush out.

"Shut up" Allie said trying not to spit toothpaste everywhere.

"You guys are so cute" Hayley said. "Okay I'm shutting up for now" she added upon seeing the glare from Allie.

The girls continued brushing their teeth.

"Lights out in five girls" Mrs Ashby poked her head through the bathroom door.

The girls nodded packing up their things.

They made their way back to their dorm.

"So come one Allie spill it. What happened?" Hayley asked excitedly as she jumped onto her own bed.

"You first. What's going on with you and Fulton?" Allie asked intrigued. She knew Hayley had already spent a night in his dorm room and whilst she swore that they slept in separate beds and were just friends Allie couldn't help but wonder whether there was some attraction growing between the two.

"Ugh, don't get me started. I was at the Icecream Parlour with Mel, Kate, Emma and Rachel right, and he walks in with Dwayne and Courtney, sits down at our table and starts teasing me before he pushed my cone in my face. How rude is that?" Hayley fumed and Allie laughed.

"What's so damn funny" Hayley demanded throwing her pillow at Allie's head.

"Hey!" Allie protested throwing the pillow back. "Aww I think someone might have a crush on you" she added.

"No, no, no. Bash Brothers aren't supposed to get crushes on cheerleaders" Hayley said before retracting her last statement "Well with the exception of Portman, he's got the biggest crush on _you_" she laughed. Allie blushed again.

"Your turn now Allie. What happened tonight with you and Portman" Hayley asked sitting up. She reminded Allie of a puppy begging for a treat.

"We went for a walk" she stated simply knowing this would drive Hayley nuts.

"AND?" Hayley prodded for more information.

"And we talked about stuff, he held my hand, he hugged me, gave me his jacket and then we walked back here and you saw for yourself what happened next" Allie answered.

"I sure did!" Hayley laughed satisfied with the information she'd received.

"Wait!" she suddenly sat up.

"What?" Allie replied.

"You do realise he _never _takes that jacket off don't you?" Hayley commented remembering something Fulton had told her.

"So?" Allie wasn't quite sure where she was going with this.

"So, it means he _really really _likes you" Hayley squealed.

"So, I think he's made it clear he likes me" Allie said wishing this conversation would end.

"You like him too right?" Hayley continued.

"Yes! Okay I like him, he's really sweet... when he's not being a pain in the ass" she laughed remembering how he'd hounded her a few weeks ago.

"I knew it!" Hayley exclaimed triumphantly.

"Good night Hayls" Allie said turning the lamp off.

"Night" Hayley replied.

* * *

"Dude, its about time" Fulton greeted his friend as he walked through the door to their dorm.

"I'm warning you man, you are in deep shit tomorrow. Hayley's not happy about your icecream stunt" Portman said throwing his hockey bag on the floor and flopping down on his bed.

"Oh shit, really?" Fulton asked suddenly wishing he'd adopted a better tactic to get Hayley's attention. Cheerleaders were scary when they were mad.

"Yeah but Allie found it hilarious" he said smiling at the memory of her face when she saw Hayley covered in ice cream.

"Hmm maybe I should get her too" Fulton said cheekily.

"Touch her and I'll kill you" Portman said seriously.

"Relax man I was just kidding" Fulton replied realising just how much his friend really liked the girl.

"You'd better be" Portman said gruffly reaching down to take his shoes off.

"Oh Banksie came around earlier, movie marathon in his dorm tomorrow night" Fulton replied. "And yes, Allie can come. Dwayne's bringing Courtney, Luis is bringing Traci and I was thinking about asking Hayley" Fulton added before Portman could ask.

"Hayley huh? You like her don't you?" Portman asked as a smile crept across his face.

"She's alright. She's fun. Varsity cheerleaders are way better than those bitchy JV ones we get, oh except Traci, she's cool, I guess" Fulton said.

"I hear you man" Portman replied closing his eyes. He was trying to replay the night's events in his mind.

"So we have to be at Banksie's at 4.00" Fulton continued as Portman gave up trying to think about what happened earlier that night and got ready for bed.

"Dude where's your jacket?" Fulton asked realising that Portman had come in without his prized possession.

"Allie has it" Portman replied pulling his socks off and tossing them towards his dirty clothes basket.

"But you never take it off" Fulton continued unknowingly sounding like Hayley.

"Dude she was cold!" Portman snapped well aware that he liked the girl more than enough to give up his jacket for the night.

"Okay, sorry. Just didn't realise how much you liked her" Fulton said softly.

"Sorry dude I didn't mean to snap, yeah I like her heaps man. I've never felt this way about a girl before" Portman admitted pulling his blanket back and climbing into bed.

Fulton didn't know how to respond to that admission.

"Sweet dreams dude" Portman said switching his lamp off.

"Night" Fulton replied.

* * *


	4. New & Confusing Crushes

* * *

The next morning Allie had decided to get up a little earlier than usual and head down to the track for a run.

"But its Saturday" Hayley protested when Allie asked her if she wanted to come.

"So?" Allie retorted pulling her sports bra over her head.

"So I'm going back to sleep" Hayley said rolling over to face the wall.

"Have it your way then" Allie gave up and tugged an old Metallica t-shirt on. She pulled on her trainers, grabbed her ipod and headed for the track.

* * *

_Hey hey hey, here I go now, here I go in to new days_ James Hetfield's (Lead singer, Metallica) voice blared through the headphones as she started her warm up.

Allie sang along with the song. She liked to sing and run, well run and puff out the words to a song depending on how you looked at it, it gave her some sense of relaxation.

She was onto her fourth lap of the track and half-singing Slipknot's _Wait and Bleed_ when she noticed a familiar figure up in the stands. She slowed down and stopped singing as she saw the figure was Connie Moreau and she was crying.

"Connie?" Allie asked slowly approaching the crying girl.

Connie quickly wiped her eyes "Oh hey Allie" she replied keeping her eyes low.

"Are you okay?" Allie asked softly taking a seat next to Connie.

Connie remained silent for a few moments before shaking her head.

"What's wrong?" Allie asked putting her arm around the other girl. "Sorry if I stink!" she added making Connie smile a little.

"Well you know how Guy and I broke up" she started.

"Yeah" Allie asked thinking she was just missing him.

"Well I'm in love with someone else and it turns out he likes another girl" she said letting the tears fall down.

"Does he know you like him?" Allie asked

Connie shook her head "No, I can't bring myself to tell him. It might ruin everything" she said.

Suddenly it clicked into place "He's a Duck isn't he?" Allie asked and Connie nodded.

"Do you see why I cant tell him" she replied.

"Maybe he's just going with this girl because he thinks he can't have you" Allie said before a thought suddenly occurred to her _oh no, what if its Portman_ she wondered.

"Maybe, I don't know" Connie replied hoping Allie was right.

"Wanna tell me who it is, maybe we can figure it out together" Allie said whilst thinking _please don't let it be Portman_.

"Promise you won't tell anyone, especially Portman. He'd tell Fulton who'd tell Charlie who'd tell the rest of the team and then I'm screwed." Connie said noticing Allie jump a little when she said Portman.

"Of course" Allie said not sure she wanted to hear what Connie was going to say next.

"Okay, its Adam Banks" Connie revealed. She almost laughed when she saw Allie relax.

"You thought I was going to say Portman weren't you" Connie said unable to contain herself any longer.

"Yeah, I was half convinced I'd have to fight you for him" Allie said laughing along with Connie.

"Oh Portman would love that" Connie said almost crying again from laughing.

"Yeah he would, he'd be in the front row yelling '_rip her top off!!'_" Allie laughed.

"So would the rest of them" Connie laughed.

The girls laughed about it a little more before returning to the original topic of their conversation.

"So Banksie hey! Great choice, he's such a sweetheart" Allie said.

"I know, he's so polite, nice, courteous and so hot!" Connie exclaimed "But he's also so unavailable" she said pouting.

"Why, who's he meant to have a crush on?" Allie asked curious to see who Banks would have crush on.

"He asked Sascha Miller out after the game last night" Connie said sadly.

"What! Is he insane? She'll eat him alive" Allie exclaimed not believing what she was hearing. Sascha Miller was the Eden Hall's resident "man eater". She could never picture Adam going for a girl like that.

"I know but he did and from what I heard he had a good time" Connie said feeling the tears well up again.

"You know what I think?" Allie started.

"What?" Connie was anxious to hear what Allie thought about the whole Adam/Sascha situation.

"I think he either did it on a dare or he got checked too hard last night" Allie said still incredibly surprised by Connie's news.

"Hopefully" Connie said wishing that either of those reasons were true.

"I think I have a plan" Allie said suddenly standing up and grabbing Connie's hand.

"What?" Connie asked intrigued.

"Well it involves shopping, lots of shopping but first I really think I need a shower. Meet met at my dorm in half an hour okay" Allie said.

"Okay, shopping is good" Connie said grinning. She'd always wondered what it would be like shopping with a cheerleader. She'd assumed it would be a totally different experience than shopping with Julie who wasn't exactly a girlie girl.

* * *

Allie made it back to her room to be welcomed by Dean and Fulton. Fulton had decided that his best defence against the icecream incident would be to apologise to Hayley before she caught up with him.

"Hey how was your run?" Portman asked getting up to give her a hug hello.

"Good but I think I really stink!" Allie said pretending to sniff her arm pits and grimaced.

"Nope that's just Fulton" Hayley piped up from her bed where it was clear the Bash Brothers had woken her up from a deep sleep judging from the sleep in her eyes and her hair a mess.

"Alright that's it" Fulton laughed and launched himself into a full blown tickle attack on her.

"She's extra ticklish on her feet" Allie informed Fulton who grinned at her.

"Gee thanks Allie I thought you were my friend" Hayley whimpered as she tried to hide her feet from Fulton.

"Sorry Hayls, that's what you get for not coming with me this morning" Allie laughed at her friend.

"Hey what are you doing later today?" Portman asked coming up behind her putting his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder as she grabbed a fresh towel from the cabinet.

"Not much, why do you wanna do something?" Allie asked enjoying him being so close to her.

"Yeah we're having a movie marathon in Banks and Spazway's room" he said.

"Spazway?" Allie and Hayley asked at the same time.

"Charlie Conway. We call him Spazway cos he used to screw up every single shot in peewees" Fulton piped up laughing at the memory.

"Oh" Allie said smiling and Hayley burst out laughing.

"Spazway, nice one" she said softly thinking that nickname was genius.

"So you wanna come?" Portman asked hopefully.

"Sure, is Connie going?" Allie asked feeling her plan taking a new development.

"Yeah I think so why?" Portman asked confused. He wasn't aware that her and Connie were friends.

"Oh no reason, she's coming over a little later" Allie said.

"You two friends?" Portman asked hoping they were, the more Allie got along with the team the more he could hang out with her without pissing them off.

"Kind of" Allie said shrugging.

"So do you want to come to Banks' tonight too?" Fulton asked Hayley who sat next to him wide eyed.

"Are you asking me out Mr Reed?" she queried smirking when she saw him blush.

"Maybe" he mumbled making Portman laugh quietly. Fulton glared at him and he quickly pretended he was whispering in Allie's ear.

"Okay then I'll be there but you have to pick me up" Hayley said.

"Okay" he said turning a brighter shade of red.

"I'd better get in the shower before Connie gets here" Allie said picking up her toiletries bag and slinging her towel over her shoulder.

"Okay. Want me to come get you later?" Portman asked hoping to spend an extra few minutes with her later.

"Yeah, what time?" she asked glancing at the clock on the wall. It read 8.45am.

"Around 4 we usually start but it takes a lot longer for everyone to get there" Portman said smiling at the memory of the last Ducks movie marathon which had resulted in Connie and Guy showing up 2 hrs late with a very grumpy Goldberg in tow who was mad that the others made him do the junk food run with "the two loveducks" as he put it.

"Okay, cool. Later Fulton" Allie called as she allowed Portman to walk her to the bathroom door.

"Bye" Fulton said not moving from his spot on the bed.

"So, I'll see you later on then" Portman said reaching his hand out to smooth down her hair.

"Yeah" Allie said almost transfixed by the sensation of his hand on her head.

"Okay, bye" Portman said leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Bye" Allie replied once again finding herself watching him walk down the hallway.

_God he's got a great ass! _she giggled to herself as she opened the bathroom door to take a shower.

* * *

Allie finished her shower and got dressed. As she was walking back to her room she spotted Connie and Julie outside her door.

"Hey guys" she called out to them.

"Hey, I ended up telling Jules and she insisted on coming with us" Connie said.

Julie was practically bouncing off the walls she was so excited at the prospect of two Ducks getting together.

"Isn't it so cute" Julie gushed ignoring the death glares from Connie.

"See what a week without Scooter has done to her" Connie sighed making Allie laugh.

"Hey! This is about you and" Julie stopped talking and mouthed the word "Banksie" making the other two girls laugh.

"at least she's careful about keeping the secret, that's gotta count for something" Connie laughed.

"Sure does" Julie replied feeling proud of herself.

"Okay, I'm just gonna dump this stuff and get my purse and lets go" Allie said opening the door to her room.

* * *

"Come on please Linda" Charlie begged. He'd been trying to get his girlfriend to come to the movie marathon.

"No Charlie" Linda replied firmly. She wasn't in the mood to sit around in a cramped dorm room whilst the other Ducks ogled the cheerleaders.

"Aww who will I cuddle up to when I get scared" Charlie pouted pulling out all stops to convince her otherwise.

"Adam" she replied trying to suppress a smile.

"But he's got Sascha" Charlie pouted again giving her the puppy dog look.

"Goldberg?" Linda suggested as Adam walked through the door.

"Goldberg cuddles the popcorn bag" Charlie said laughing at Adam's raised eyebrows.

"If I say Fulton are you gonna reply _But he cuddles Portman_?" Linda said mischievously.

"Nope, Portman's got Allie and I heard Fulton asked her roommate out" Charlie said and Adam dropped the stack of books he was moving.

"Fulton asked Hayley out?" he asked surprised. He'd always thought Fulton was too shy to ask a girl out.

"Yeah, Portman's been giving him hell about it all morning" Charlie laughed.

"Ha ha see baby you don't want to miss that now do you?" Charlie turned back to Linda trying his puppy dog look one last time.

"Okay okay I'll come but if you guys get movies where all they do is get drunk and throw up all over each other then I'm outta there" she said putting her hands on her hips.

"Deal" Adam said quickly before Charlie could protest. Charlie's new favourite was the Jackass Movie. Adam had been subjected to it on more than one occasion.

"Okay, do you guys want some help shifting stuff?" Linda asked eyeing the room. Adam's side was nice and tidy but Charlie's looked like a bomb had hit it.

"Yes please" Charlie said glad that she was staying a little longer.

"Right so I guess I'll start with that" Linda said pointing to the large pile of clothes on the floor.

"Thanks baby" Charlie said cheekily and the three of them got to work.

* * *

"Oh no. Allie are you sure about this?" Connie asked eying the salon warily. She'd never seen such a place before. It almost looked like a palace.

"Positive, I know the owner" Allie said pulling the doors open.

"Connie this is like the most expensive place ever and I heard it has a waiting list of seven months" Julie whispered.

"How does she think I'm gonna get in then?" Connie whispered back watching Allie walk up to the counter and hug the woman behind it.

Allie gestured the two girls over to where her and a striking woman in her 50s stood.

"Connie, Julie this is Helena Vanderbilt, she owns the salon" Allie said introducing the girls to the woman.

"Helena these are my friends Connie and Julie" Allie said.

"Is this _the _Julie?" Helena asked smiling at Julie.

"She sure is" Allie said looking at a very confused Julie.

"Have I missed something?" Julie asked quietly and Allie and Helena laughed.

"You haven't caught on yet have you? This is Scooter's mom" Allie said.

"Oh!" Julie exclaimed pleased to know she had heard about her from Scooter.

"Scott was right, she is gorgeous" Helena exclaimed giving Julie a warm hug. "It's good to finally meet you" she added.

"You too" Julie said smiling glad that Scooter's mum had liked her.

"Now Connie" Helena said turning to Connie "Oh your bone structure is just perfect!" she gushed tipping Connie's chin up slightly to get a closer look.

"Um thanks" Connie blushed. She wasn't used to receiving such nice compliments from anyone other than Guy.

"We start with facials, come on girls" Helena gestured towards the back room where Allie followed her. Connie and Julie hung back.

"Allie we cant afford this" Connie pleaded starting to panic.

Allie simply shook her head "Don't worry its all taken care of. It won't cost you a cent. Helena's like my second mom, only cooler" she explained.

"Oh" the girls said softly trying not to let their excitement show. Sure they were hockey players but deep down they've always wondered what it was like to be pampered at a beauty salon.

"Banks is gonna freak when he sees you tonight" Allie promised as the three girls took their seats.

* * *

"Not with your girl today?" Luis looked up to see Portman standing in his doorway.

"Nah she's out somewhere with Connie and Julie" Portman said remembering he'd seen Julie with Connie earlier and assumed she'd gone out with Allie too.

"Man you're lucky, I wish Traci would get along with Connie and Julie like that" Luis said gesturing for Portman to come in.

"I think Allie being such good friends with Scooter helps a little with Julie but I was surprised when she said she was going out with Connie" Portman admitted taking a seat at Luis' desk.

"Yeah that is strange, no offence to Connie, she's nice and all but she doesn't seem to get along with many girls other than Julie" Luis repleid

"That's what I thought" Portman said laughing.

"Oh did you hear about Banksie and Sascha Miller?" Luis asked still amazed that Banks had the guts to ask her out.

"Nah, don't tell me he's into that slut" Portman scoffed. He really didn't like Sascha. She was the type of girl who would go out with anyone who looked at her. She had stalked him for a few days until he told her firmly to fuck off.

"Yeah hard to believe isn't it. You'd think someone like Connie or Julie would be more his type" Luis said not realising just how close to the truth he was.

"Yeah I guess but he's probably too scared Guy would kick his ass if he tried it on Connie and Jules is taken" Portman replied suddenly feeling like a gossiping girl.

"Most likely. Hey wanna play Playstation?" Luis asked hopefully.

"Hell yeah, you got GTA San Andreas?" Portman asked perking up.

"Um yeah I think Averman has it" Luis said scanning the room for Averman's Playstation games collection. He saw the box poking out from under the bed.

"Here it is" Luis cried pulling the game out. "Man he has so many games" he mused sifting through the rest of the box.

"Let me see" Portman demanded grabbing the box. "Sweet!" he exclaimed looking inside.

"Let's play" Luis said setting up the console and handing Portman a controller.

* * *

The girls returned to the dorms shortly after lunch. Connie was on cloud nine. She was going to look so damn hot when she arrived at Banks' dorm later that day.

"I can't believe Allie did that for us, it was so nice of her" Julie exclaimed throwing the shopping bags on her bed.

"Yeah I know, its kinda hard to believe her dad's richer than Banks' dad. You'd never know from the way she acts" Connie said.

"I wouldn't say that too loudly" Julie scolded. Helena had let it slip that Allie was from Newport and she had pleaded with the two girls not to say anything as it made her kind of embarrassed.

As if to prove Julie's point someone knocked on the door.

"Come in" Connie yelled.

"Hey girls, just checking to see if you had any requests for movies?" Charlie asked. It was routine now to ask the girls if they wanted to see anything in particular in order to avoid being killed later.

"Um, anything but Jackass Charlie" Julie replied. She found it hilarious the first two times she watched it but Charlie had made them watch it at least fifty times since then and it was starting to wear thin.

"That's what Linda said" Charlie said pouting.

"Linda's a smart girl" Connie added causing the two girls to crack up laughing.

"Very funny Connie, she already thinks you hate her" Charlie whined a little annoyed that Connie could get along with Portman's new girlfriend but not Linda.

"I don't hate her, I don't know her" Connie protested.

"Would it kill you two to be nicer to her?" Charlie replied starting to feel his anger rise up.

"Would it kill _you_ to be nicer to Scooter then?" Julie retorted placing her hands on her hips. _Charlie could be such a hypocrite sometimes _she thought angrily.

"That's different' Charlie answered.

"How is that different" Julie yelled.

"BECAUSE IT JUST IS" Charlie screamed back exiting the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

Julie and Connie stared at the back of the door.

"God he's such an ass" Julie grumbled. Her good mood had just been destroyed.


	5. The Movie Marathon

Allie was in the midst of showing Hayley what she'd bought at the mall earlier that day when a knock came at the door.

"Come in" Allie yelled.

The door swung open to reveal Portman and Fulton.

"Hey you" Allie greeted Portman as he came up and gave her a hug.

"Hey yourself" Portman whispered in her ear.

"Sad isn't it, two seconds and they're all over each other" Fulton nudged Hayley.

"Aw you're just jealous" Hayley teased nudging him back. She started laughing when he couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"Hey you're early" Allie noticed.

"Yeah I volunteered us to go get the movies. Hope you don't mind. They only agreed to let me and Fulton go if you came too" Portman advised.

"Why's that?" Allie asked slightly amused.

"Connie and Julie figure that you'll get something decent for them" Portman admitted.

Allie laughed "Well they're gonna hate me when we get back" she said.

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand chick flicks" Allie laughed making Portman and Fulton grin.

"Me either" Hayley agreed.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you" Portman laughed pulling her closer.

"You haven't seen nothing yet" Allie laughed.

"We'd better go, Hayley are you coming?" Portman asked the brunette girl.

"I guess" she replied giving Fulton a playful punch on the arm. It must've been hard because Fulton's face tightened up.

Allie laughed at the look on Fulton's face as she grabbed a black hoodie from her bed and slipped it over her head.

"You are such a dag" Hayley laughed at Allie's choice of attire. In addition to the hoodie she had on dark grey sweatpants, a white tank and an old pair of Nike trainers on her feet.

"Meh, at least I'm comfortable" Allie retorted. She wasn't about to get all dressed up to watch movies in a dorm room. She'd once made the mistake of wearing tight jeans to watch movies in Scooter's dorm and was so uncomfortable that she had to borrow a pair of his shorts.

"Yeah I hear you" Hayley agreed glancing down at her dirty green cargo pants. Between her pants and Fulton's army camouflage pants they both looked like they were going on a mission.

"I think you look gorgeous" Portman piped up and Allie stuck her tongue out at Hayley.

"Ha!" she laughed grabbing her purse and cell phone and shoving them in her pockets.

"What a suck up!" Hayley pinched Fulton on the elbow.

"You got your keys?" Hayley asked grabbing her bag.

"Yeah, you got yours?" Allie replied.

The boys looked at them confused "You lock your doors?" they asked. Portman and Fulton never locked their dorm door when they went out.

"Yeah, last time we left it unlocked a good portion of our clothes and make up went missing. I've seen the JV cheerleaders wearing some of our stuff since then" Hayley explained.

"Bummer" Fulton replied moving out of the room so that Allie could lock the door.

Portman, Fulton and Hayley started off down the hall. When Allie had finished locking the door she ran up behind Portman and jumped on his back.

"Race yas" she called to Hayley and Fulton as Portman started running.

"Hey no fair!" Hayley cried jumping on Fulton's back.

"Ow!" Fulton exclaimed as she accidentally kicked him in the butt on her way up.

"Hurry up horsey!" she cried ignoring his protests.

"Come on wimps!" Portman laughed as he ran down the steps of the building and dashed across the lawn of Eden Hall.

"Woo hoo we win!" Allie yelled as her and Portman reached the front gates of Eden Hall Academy.

"Hey you cheated" Hayley protested as her and Fulton came up alongside the couple.

"Oooo, she's a sore loser" Portman laughed and Fulton flashed him a dirty look.

"Well you're a bad winner!" Hayley replied laughing along with Portman and Allie.

Allie jumped down from Portman's back and they started the short walk towards the video store.

"Well what should we get?" Fulton asked when they arrived.

"I have no idea" Portman replied keeping his eyes on Allie the entire time.

After half an hour they'd finally decided. They ended up with the new Jet Li movie, The Pacifier as it wasn't too girly for the male Ducks and Connie and Julie could perve on Vin Diesel without complaint, The Amityville Horror because Portman was convinced Allie would get scared and need to cuddle up to him for protection and Blade Trinity for all the violence.

They arrived at Banks and Charlie's dorm a little after four to see Connie waiting nervously outside the door.

"Oh thank god" she exclaimed rushing up to Allie. She had on the clothes she'd picked out earlier and she looked awesome.

"Connie you look fantastic" Hayley exclaimed wishing she could look that good in a pair of jeans.

"Thanks" Connie said looking at Allie who nodded her agreement.

"He's gonna flip" she whispered in her ear.

"I didn't want to go in by myself. I'm so nervous" Connie whispered back so Fulton and Portman couldn't hear.

"Hey guys" Julie came up behind them.

"Hey Jules" the five teenagers chorused.

"Wow Connie!" Julie exclaimed even though she had already seen her.

Connie had on a pair of dark skinny jeans that fitted her perfectly with a longer purple tank over the top that was low enough to show the right amount of cleavage to get Banks' attention without full on flashing him. She looked casual but sexy at the same time. Her long brown hair had been dyed a darker shade of chocolate that really set off her pale skin.

"Okay here goes" Connie said softly opening the door. The group walked in to discover that everyone else had already arrived. Just as Sascha was about to sit down next to Adam, Julie dove and sat down before she could giving Sascha a glare. Sascha pouted and sat down next to Linda as Goldberg and his popcorn bag were on the other side of Adam.

Connie and Allie stifled laughs at Julie antics. Connie chose a spot directly in Adam's line of view and as predicted, his eyes grew wide when he saw Connie. "Wow Connie you look great" Adam blurted out before turning bright red.

"Thanks Adam" Connie smiled feeling Sascha's evil glare on her. _Why did he invite her anyway? _Connie thought to herself.

Allie, Portman, Fulton and Hayley took the beanbags in the corner of the room as they were the only available seats left. Portman handed the DVDs to Charlie as he passed him.

"Nice choices" Charlie nodded his approval making the rest of the room nervous. They knew Charlie's warped taste in movies.

"Should we be scared?" Goldberg piped up from the back of the room.

"No" Fulton said defensively as Charlie popped the first movie in.

Allie leant back into Portman's chest and felt his arms slip around her comfortably. She glanced over to see Charlie and Julie glaring at each other from across the room. _I wonder what that's about?_ She thought with a slight frown.

"Are you okay?" Portman asked seeing her frown.

"Yeah, just watching Charlie and Julie" she whispered as Portman glanced at the two glaring Ducks.

"Oh they had a fight earlier, something about Linda I think" Portman whispered back kissing her on the top of the head as she settled back into his arms again.

The first movie went by uneventful until the very end when most people started sniffing the air with disgusted looks on their faces.

"GOLDBERG!" the Ducks chorused to an embarrassing looking Goldberg who simply replied.

"It wasn't me"

The rest of the Ducks looked over towards Portman.

"PORTMAN!" they chorused.

"Don't look at me" Portman answered seriously.

"Sorry, it was me" a small voice was heard revealing a very red Ken Wu.

"KENNY!" they chorused bursting out into laughter.

Averman had trouble calming down from his laughing attack and Ken ended up thumping him on the shoulder.

"It wasn't that funny Averman" he protested.

"Go the little bash brother" Fulton said proud at the punch Kenny had just packed.

"Ouch that hurt Ken" Averman said finally calming down.

"Good" Ken retorted.

"He's feisty when provoked" Allie whispered to Portman who grinned at her.

"Yep, he's a bash brother alright" he said proudly.

Sascha was still sitting next to Linda pouting that Julie had stolen her seat. She also hadn't failed to notice that Adam had spent the entire movie gazing at Connie.

An idea formed in her head. She turned to Guy who was sitting on the other side of her.

"Hey Guy" she whispered seductively.

Guy turned to her surprised "What's up?" he whispered back.

"Hopefully you later" she replied brushing her hand on his leg before turning away.

Guy gulped not believing what he had just heard.

"You wanna get out of here next movie?" he asked feeling quite bold.

Sascha nodded.

"So what's next?" Charlie asked taking charge once again.

"Don't care" Goldberg said between mouthfuls of popcorn.

"Can we take a pee break first?" Averman asked hopping up from his spot on the floor where he proceeded to shift uncomfortably from one foot to another.

"Averman just go!" Connie said before her friend had an accident.

The others filed out for a break and Charlie kept his eyes on Julie as she got up and followed Adam out of the door.

"I'll be back" he told Linda quickly and followed Julie and Adam outside.

"I'm gonna stretch my legs. You coming?" Portman asked Allie. Fulton and Hayley had already disappeared.

"Nah I'm good" Allie replied seeing Connie watching them with great interest. She sensed that Connie wanted to talk to her in private.

"Okay, I'll be back soon" Portman said giving her a tender kiss on the cheek before leaving.

One by one the crowd filed outside and soon it was just Connie, Linda and Allie left. Connie had sat down next to Allie and they were quietly talking about Banks' reaction to her new look.

"Told you! He can't keep his eyes off you now" Allie whispered to an excited Connie.

"I know! You are the best!" she exclaimed jumping on her to give her a hug.

"Aw thanks Cons" Allie said pretending to blush.

"So Linda, has Sascha driven you nuts yet?" Connie turned to include the other girl in the conversation.

"When doesn't she" Linda replied knowing that Connie didn't care much for Sascha either.

Allie and Connie both laughed.

"Do you guys know why Charlie's so mad at Julie? He's been glaring at her all night" Linda asked quietly. She didn't like it when Charlie was mad at someone, he had a tendency to take it out on her sometimes. Nothing physical just being in a sour mood generally.

"Oh they had a yelling match earlier, something about Scooter" Connie replied conveniently leaving the part about them being nicer to Linda out.

"Oh boy what's Scoot done now?" Allie asked wondering if Scooter had done something to annoy Charlie. It honestly wouldn't have surprised her if he had.

"Oh nothing, I think Charlie just doesn't trust him cos he's on Varsity. He has a hard time letting people in" Connie explained. She had known him since kindergarten.

"No kidding" Linda put in making Connie grin. Charlie could be so damn frustrating sometimes when he holds grudges against nice people.

_Maybe Linda isn't so bad afterall_ Connie thought.

* * *

"Look what is your damn problem Conway?" Julie said as quietly as she could through clenched teeth. His glaring had not gone unnoticed during the first movie and now he was following her to the bathroom.

"Its not my problem Gaffney, its yours" Charlie replied angrily shoving past her.

"Watch it Chuck" Julie warned shoving him back.

"Guys don't fight" Adam pleaded wondering if he was going to have to break them up.

"SHUT UP BANKS!" Julie and Charlie yelled at the same time.

"Fine! I give up" Adam declared throwing his hands in the air pushing past both of them to head into the male bathroom.

They stared at each other hard for a moment.

"Get the hell out of my way Conway" Julie snapped shoving him aside. "What the………." she started when he grabbed her arm.

Before she had a chance to say anymore she suddenly felt Charlie's lips pressed against her own. She tried to resist but almost immediately found herself giving in to temptation. He brought his hands up the sides of her body to rest on the side of her face as he gently pressed her back into the wall. He heard a soft moan escape from her lips as she parted them allowing him access as he deepened the kiss. _So this is what heaven feels like_ she thought before crashing back down to reality.

"No, stop" she mumbled weakly pushing him away.

"Jules" Charlie whispered leaning in to kiss her again.

She allowed his lips to brush hers again before she woke up "No Charlie, we can't do this" she said shoving him away.

"Julie, I…" Charlie stammered. He hadn't planned on kissing her but when he did it felt right to him.

"I'm sorry Charlie" Julie whispered turning away to walk back down the hall. She couldn't go back to his dorm with Linda there. How would she even look Linda in the eye, and Scooter, _what about Scooter?_ She thought the tears behind her eyes stinging.

Charlie watched her walk away with sorrow in his heart.

"I am such a dumbass"he mumbled heading back towards the room.

* * *

Portman shrunk back behind the door he'd just walked through. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. _Charlie and Julie?_ He thought wondering when this had happened.

He waited until Charlie retreated back to the dorm before he moved. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Deciding he wouldn't say anything he stepped back out into the hallway and headed towards the room.

"Hey just in time. They're about to start the next movie" Allie whispered moving over so that he could sit down.

Portman flopped down next to her and stared straight ahead still thinking about Charlie and Julie.

"Are you okay?" Allie asked noticing Portman seemed a bit spaced.

"Huh?" Portman snapped out of it.

"I said are you okay?" Allie repeated looking a little worried.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine" Portman said quickly putting his arm around her shoulders.

Unfortunately he leaned down just as she leaned over to pick up her soda can.

"Ow!" they cried butting heads.

"Jesus Portman can't you just kiss her like a normal person, you don't have to beat her up _Bash Brother_" Russ joked making the room laugh.

"Ha ha good one Russ" Dwayne piped up grinning from ear to ear.

"If you wanna keep that afro Russ then you'd better shut up" Portman growled.

"Hey man was just joking, no need to threaten the 'do" Russ flashed his _I'm shutting up now_ smile as Portman continued his glare.

"You okay?" Portman whispered turning back to Allie.

"Yeah, I think I'll live" she laughed as he reached out to gently rub her forehead.

"Come here" he said pulling her closer to his side and laying a protective arm around her.

* * *


	6. Can't Hold Back the Truth

Julie reached her room to find someone standing outside her door. Under normal circumstances she would be ecstatic to see him but after what had just happened with Charlie she almost ran away from him.

"Hey gorgeous" Scooter smiled rushing over towards her.

"Scooter! What are you doing back so soon?" Julie forced herself to smile back at him and accept his hug.

"I ended up punching Josh Stiles so I got sent home. It was so worth it though just to see the look on that dickhead's face" Scooter said feeling happy to be back with his girl.

"Oh that's good" Julie said absently not really comprehending what Scooter had just said.

"What's the matter?" Scooter asked realising she wasn't really paying attention.

Julie didn't say anything as the tears that had been threatening to come spilled over.

"Aw Jules, honey what is it?" Scooter asked wrapping his arms around her.

Julie shook her head not wanting to speak.

Scooter held her in his arms until she was ready to talk. He wasn't prepared for what she was about to say.

"I kissed Charlie, no wait Charlie kissed me and then I kissed him back and then I pushed him and then he kissed me again and oh god, I'm so sorry" Julie rambled afraid to stop talking. If she stopped then it meant Scooter would have to react to the news.

"What?" Scooter said sounding remarkably calm.

"I'm so sorry" Julie repeated through tears. She had enjoyed the kiss with Charlie briefly but she certainly wasn't enjoying the consequences it brought with it.

"I have to go" Scooter said walking away.

"Scooter" Julie called.

He stopped and turned around "Don't Julie, I can't deal with this right now" he said walking away again.

Julie nodded and let herself into her room where she sat on her bed in a daze and cried.

* * *

"CONWAY!" a voice boomed through the hallways outside Charlie and Adam's dorm room.

"What the hell was that?" Fulton sat up waiting to hear it again.

"CONWAY GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE" the voice yelled again.

"Charlie what's going on?" Linda asked confused as to why someone was yelling for her boyfriend.

"I don't know" Charlie replied dumbfounded. It kinda sounded like Scooter but he was meant to be on the hockey camp.

"You going out there?" Russ asked knowing that whoever wanted to mess with Charlie had to deal with the entire team.

"Yeah I guess" Charlie said standing up. "Guys I'll be okay" Charlie gestured to the Bashes as they stood up as well.

"Yell if you need us" Fulton ordered.

Charlie just nodded as he stepped outside in to the hallway.

The second he closed the door behind him everyone flocked to it to hear what was going on.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Conway?" Scooter snapped at him the second he spotted him.

"I don't know" Charlie admitted realising he knew about Julie. He had no idea what possessed him to kiss Julie other than he felt the strongest urge to do so at the time.

"You don't know? You kiss my girlfriend and you just don't know?" Scooter fumed.

* * *

"Who is that out there?" Connie asked.

"Oh my god" Allie exclaimed grabbing for the doorhandle. She had recognised Scooter's voice and he sounded pissed off.

Portman went to chase her but was cut off by the door shutting.

"What's going on Scoot?" Allie asked recognising the look of rage in Scooter's face. He only got like that when something really bad has happened.

"He kissed Jules, Allie" Scooter replied clenching his fist.

"You what?" Allie turned to Charlie stunned. He was mad at Julie only an hour ago. She the realised that Julie hadn't returned to the movie marathon after the bathroom break.

"Scooter no!" Allie screamed knowing what he was about to do next.

She launched herself at Scooter placing her hands on his chest she used most of her strength to force him back, away from Charlie.

"I'd get out of here now Charlie" Allie advised.

Charlie nodded and turned around to see a very pale Linda standing behind him.

"Is it true Charlie?" she asked softly.

"Linda, I'm so sorry" Charlie replied quietly.

"Oh my god" Linda covered her mouth with her hands and ran towards the exit.

"LINDA!" Charlie yelled chasing after her.

Scooter went to charge forward to follow but Allie pushed him back "Let him go Scoot, its not worth it" she whispered to him.

By now the rest of the Ducks had formed a group in the hall and all were wide-eyed with shock. _Charlie and Julie kissed?_ They were all thinking in surprise.

The door to Guy's room opened and out stumbled Sascha with her clothes half on and her hair a mess with a shirtless Guy behind her.

"What's going on?" she giggled completely oblivious to the cold stares she was receiving.

Guy stood glued to the spot looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Adam remained silent, staring in disbelief at the pair before turning around and walking off down the hall. He just needed to get out of there.

"How could you Guy?" Connie snapped running off after Adam. She didn't mean how could he do it to her, she was over him, she meant how could he do it to Adam. They were supposed to be friends.

"I guess movie night's over" Averman stated a little disappointed he didn't get to watch the rest of the movies.

"Shut up Averman" Luis scolded wondering if this night could possibly get any worse.

"I'd better get him to his room" Allie said to Portman, her arm still around Scooter for comfort.

"Want me to come with?" Portman asked not knowing what he should do.

Allie shook her head "No, I think I'd better do it on my own. I'll come see you tomorrow though" she said hoping she didn't disappoint him too much. They were having fun just being with each other before all of this crap started.

"Okay" he said lightly picking up her hand and squeezing it before letting it go.

"I'm gonna check on Jules" he announced when Allie and Scooter had left.

The Ducks didn't say anything as the rest of them filed back into Adam and Charlie's room to clean up the mess they'd made before leaving. Guy retreated back into his dorm and Fulton volunteered to go with Portman to check on Julie.

It had been an eventful night.

* * *

Connie eventually caught up with Adam by the school's outdoor swimming pool. It had been drained for the winter as the swim team used the indoor pool during the winter season.

"Hey" she said softly sitting down on the edge next to him.

"Hi" he said looking across at her.

They sat in silence for a while as each of them tried to think of something to say.

Finally Connie spoke "Are you okay?"

Adam nodded "Yeah, just surprised" he admitted keeping his head down.

"I know, I mean I think I would have expected it from her but definitely not from Guy" Connie said.

"Are you okay about it?" Adam asked realising that Connie might still have feelings for Guy.

"Yeah, I'm completely over Guy, it's you I was worried about" she confessed hoping she hadn't given too much away.

"I'm fine" he replied.

"You're way too good for that skank anyway" Connie said before she could think.

Adam gave a slight smile "Is that right?" he challenged.

"Yes" Connie said firmly.

Adam laughed. She was in her _I'm right about this_ mood.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You" he replied smiling.

"Why?"

"Cos you're so cute when you're sure you're right" Adam laughed

"You think I'm cute?" Connie asked not sure whether she wanted to know or not.

"No" Adam replied grinning when he saw her face fall. She looked down at her hands.

"Oh" she said softly.

He leaned in a little closer to her and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face.

"I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen" he admitted blushing slightly.

"Adam" she whispered as she felt his lips sweep across hers for a quick gentle kiss.

"Connie I've been in love with you since the first time I saw you" he said softly pressing his forehead to hers.

"How long ago was that?" Connie mused. She'd known Adam for quite some time now and couldn't really remember when they'd first met before he joined the Ducks.

"Our first game against each other when I was a Hawk and you were in District Five. You called me "preppy" and pushed me over" he laughed slipping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh my god I remember that. Your stupid friend said something about how girls aren't meant to play hockey and I lost it!" she laughed.

"Yeah, McGill's was an idiot. Probably still is to this day" Adam said grinning.

"Why didn't you say anything before now?" Connie asked the question she already knew the answer to.

"Because you only had eyes for Guy" Adam answered.

"My eyes are only on you now" Connie replied as she lifted her head to kiss the man of her dreams.

"That's what I wanna hear" Adam responded as he moved his hands down towards her waist pulling her in closer as their kiss deepened.

* * *

"I really liked her Allie" Scooter said sinking his head into his hands. They were sitting in Allie's room because when they'd arrived at Scooters a full-blown floor party was in full swing.

"I know sweetie" Allie said sympathetically rubbing his back.

"I wish I hadn't been sent home early, then maybe I wouldn't have to know. Maybe she wouldn't have told me and we could still be happy" Scooter said knowing he sounded crazy.

"You know as well as I do that she would have told you the second you got home Scoot. Julie's too honest a person to keep something like that from you, I honestly don't think she meant to hurt you" Allie said hoping she didn't just overstep the mark with the last comment.

"Well she did" Scooter said feeling the tears start to flow. Allie was the only person he'd ever cried in front of and he wasn't ashamed to do it. She understood him better than anyone ever had, he was thankful they had remained such good friends after their break up.

"I know" Allie said softly leaning back against the head of the bed as Scooter placed his head on her shoulder next to her.

They stayed like that until he eventually fell asleep. Allie gently moved out from under him and placed her blanket over the top of him. She hoped tomorrow would be a better day for everyone.

* * *

"Did he hit Charlie?" Julie asked accepting the tissue that Fulton had offered.

"No Allie stopped him" Portman informed her feeling a little worried that she could just step into a middle of a fight like that. He didn't want her getting hit by a flying fist.

"Good" Julie said softly knowing that this was half her fault. She should have just pushed Charlie away the second it happened.

"Jules, are you into Charlie?" Fulton asked the question everyone was dying to know. Portman glanced at Fulton with a look that said _dude, are you crazy?_.

"No" Julie lied. The truth was she didn't know how she felt about Charlie now. She was attracted to him but she wasn't sure how much.

"Hey don't worry about it. He kissed you remember" Portman said trying to be comforting.

"I know but I didn't stop him" Julie protested putting her head in her hands. "I'm such an idiot" she declared sighing loudly.

"Words I thought I'd never live to hear" Fulton laughed hoping Julie would see it as a joke.

"Shut up Fult" Julie replied throwing her pillow at him smiling.

"Easy tiger" he warned throwing the pillow back at her.

"I'd watch it man, she gets nasty when provoked" Portman joked.

"That's right Reed, you'd better be afraid" Julie laughed feeling very glad it was the bash brothers who had come to cheer her up.

"Oooo I'm shaking on the inside Gaffney" Fulton replied laughing.

The bashes stayed for a little while longer until Julie said she wanted to go to sleep. Connie still hadn't returned to the dorm yet and from what Portman told her about Sascha and Guy, Julie guessed Connie was somewhere with Adam.

_At least something good might come from this horrible night_ she thought before closing her eyes.

* * *

Portman stopped by Charlie's dorm on the way out the next morning.

Charlie was sitting on his bed alone staring straight ahead.

"Hey Conway" Portman greeted interrupting Charlie's silence.

"Hey" he said glumly.

"How'd it go with Linda?" Portman got straight to the point for which Charlie was grateful. He hated it when people beat around the bush.

"Not so good, all I managed to accomplish was having a door slammed in my face" Charlie replied

"Ouch. So I guess she's still mad then huh" Portman replied knowing how bummed he would be if it was Allie who'd slammed the door in his face.

"Yep" Charlie said taking a deep breath. "She's never gonna want to see me again" he said picking at a loose thread on his pants.

"Yeah she will give her time" Portman said hoping it was the truth. He didn't know Linda that well, if at all and wasn't entirely sure how long the girl could hold a grudge.

"Yeah I guess" Charlie mused.

"Where's Banks?" Portman changed the subject. He sensed that Charlie was going to go off the deep end if they didn't stop talking about Linda soon. It wasn't that he was scared of Charlie it was more the fact that an angry Charlie was kind of a pain in the ass to deal with.

"Didn't he come back? Russ mentioned something about being mad at Guy but I don't know why" Charlie said not knowing what had happened in the hallway after he ran after Linda.

"Oh Guy chose the wrong time to stumble out of his room half naked with a barely dressed Sascha" Portman explained to a slightly amused Charlie.

"Seriously? Wow! What did Banks do? No wait what did Connie do?" Charlie asked knowing that Connie's reaction would be more entertaining that Adam's.

"Banks did nothing just walked out. Connie yelled _How could you Guy_" Portman imitated Connie's voice "and then she ran out after him. She still hadn't come back when Jules went to sleep" Portman stopped talking abruptly resisting all urge to clamp his hand over his mouth. _Shit, I've brought it up again_ he scolded himself.

"You were with Julie last night?" Charlie asked surprised.

"Yeah Fulton and I went to talk to her after Allie took Scooter back to his dorm" Portman said quietly.

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, she's a bit upset, definitely confused but she didn't yell or scream at us like I thought she would. She even joked with us a little then she said she was tired and we left" Portman informed.

"God I'm such an idiot" Charlie declared and Portman burst out laughing.

"Glad you find it so amusing" Charlie scolded giving Portman a dirty look.

"Sorry dude, its not that. That's exactly what Julie said last night, only about herself" Portman explained.

"Oh right" Charlie said softly.

The two hockey players sat there in silence until Portman mumbled some excuse about having to clean up his dorm.

"Catch ya later" Charlie called to Portman's back.

"Later dude" Portman replied.

* * *

Portman arrived outside Allie's door. He had missed her since last night, something he'd never dare admit to anyone except maybe her.

"Hey" Allie said looking like she just woke up.

"Sorry did I wake you?" Portman asked nervously feeling like a jackass.

"No its okay, I'm awake. I slept on the floor last night" Allie explained opening the door to reveal a pillow and blanket on the floor and her bed all messed up.

"Why'd you sleep on the floor?" Portman asked curiously.

"Oh Scooter stayed here last night. He fell asleep on me so I just let him have my bed" Allie said picking the pillow up off the floor.

"So where is he now?" Portman asked glancing towards her empty bed. He wasn't sure whether he should be worried or not.

"I'm not sure, maybe back at his own dorm. He was gone when I woke up" Allie said pulling the sheets from her bed and throwing them into the dirty laundry basket.

"Oh" he replied as she got out some fresh bed linen. "Want some help?" he asked.

"If you're offering, thanks" she replied handing him a side of the sheet.

They changed the bed in silence, Portman was still wondering why Scooter had stayed here last night. He knew they were friends but didn't he have his own dorm to sleep in.

"Are you okay? You seem quiet" Allie asked when they had finished.

"Yeah just tired I think" Portman replied reaching out to grab her arm "Come here" he said quietly pulling her into a hug.

Allie wrapped her arms around his waist as he held her close for longer than usual. He rested his chin on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a few moments longer.

Allie moved back slightly bringing her hands up to curl around the back of Portman's neck. She played with the fine hair there making his skin tingle. Portman lowered his head so that his face was just inches from hers. She brought her face up to his and met his lips with a gentle kiss.

Portman tightened his grip around her waist smiling as he swooped in again, this time making it last a little longer as he parted his lips slightly allowing her tongue to explore his mouth. He pressed himself against her as he deepened the kiss almost afraid to let go of her in case he floated away.

As they eventually pulled away they were startled by the sound of applause. They whipped around to see Hayley and Fulton standing in the doorway clapping and whistling.

"Its about time you two got your act together!" Hayley laughed hysterically as she saw how red they were both turning.

Fulton had an amused look on his face as he slung an arm around Hayley's waist.

"Looks like it's not just us that's got our act together" Portman shot back at them grinning.

Fulton blushed and Hayley giggled. Fulton was so cute when he blushed.

"You guys wanna do something? Let's get out of this depressing place" Hayley suggested.

"Sure" Allie replied. Portman tried not to look disappointed. He'd been hoping to spend the afternoon alone with Allie, especially after their first proper kiss had happened.

"Wanna go paint balling?" Hayley asked. There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she looked at Fulton.

"Sounds good" Portman replied perking up a little. A little payback on Fulton was always welcome.

"Let's go" Allie said dragging Portman by the hand.


	7. Begging for Forgiveness

**The next day at school**

Word had somehow gotten out about the big bust up between some of the Ducks, Linda and Scooter. Apparently the screaming fest had been heard across the boys dorm building and Sascha didn't help matters much by telling anyone who would listen about what her and Guy got up to that night.

Scooter had chosen to ignore Julie and glare at Charlie all day. He even opted to sit alone at lunch time. He went as far as to ignore Allie to an extent to which she was not exactly thrilled about. Portman didn't mind though, it meant he could have his girlfriend to himself for the entire day.

Unfortunately, the day wasn't going so well for Charlie as it was for Portman. Linda had refused to let him into her dorm on Sunday and had refused to take his call or return them. She also wasn't speaking to him until after the bell signalling the end of lunch had rung.

"Linda please talk to me, I'm really sorry and I want to make it up to you" Charlie pleaded following her around for the millionth time that day. He was like a lost puppy dog.

"You want to make it up to me?" Linda hissed turning around to finally look at him.

"Yes I do" Charlie said half smiling at her. He was hoping she was about to come around.

"Then leave me the hell alone" she yelled spinning on her heel and storming off.

"Linda wait!" Charlie pleaded running to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm to make her stop. "Please" he begged.

"Let go of me Charlie" she warned tensing up. She didn't like being grabbed like that.

"Not until you let me explain" Charlie bargained.

"Oh this'll be good" Linda said sarcastically rolling her eyes.

"Linda, it didn't mean anything to me. Julie is my friend and a team mate, nothing more and nothing less. _You're_ the only girl I want" Charlie started giving her the puppy dog look.

"If I'm the only girl you want then why'd you go and kiss her Charlie? Why'd you do it and then come back and pretend to me like nothing happened?" Linda challenged.

"I don't know. I'm an idiot. No wait, I'm an asshole, I admit it" Charlie said softly becoming aware of the crowd that was now forming around them.

"Yes you are an asshole Charlie" Linda said feeling herself soften slightly. Then she noticed Charlie glance at someone in the crowd. She followed his gaze and saw Julie standing in the crowd looking a little sad. She felt her anger rising up again. He'd made a fool out of her and now she was going to do the same thing to him.

"Do you forgive me?" Charlie asked stepping in towards her and taking her hand.

Linda said nothing but let him get close enough to think he was going to be able to kiss her and then….

_CRACK!_

She brought her hand up to slap his face as hard as she could leaving a bright red hand print on his cheek.

"When hell freezes over" she replied through clenched teeth as she turned to push her way past the crowd.

"Linda" Charlie called as he ran to follow her but Fulton stopped him.

"Dude, let her go. She needs time to cool down" he advised.

Charlie simply nodded as he turned to face the rest of the snickering crowd staring at him.

"What the hell are you looking at" he yelled before angrily bumping his way past a few people and storming off down the hall in the opposite direction of what Linda had just taken.

Julie quietly slipped behind Goldberg as the rest of the Ducks made their way towards their next class.

"You okay Catlady?" he asked sympathetically. He knew none of this was really her fault and he could see the pain in her face.

"Y…..yes" Julie stammered trying to hold the tears in. She hated knowing she was the cause of the fight between Charlie and Linda and she hated knowing that she was the reason Scooter had retreated back into himself and wouldn't talk to anyone. She'd hurt him and she'd hurt him bad.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. You'll see" Goldberg stated wrapping an arm around his fellow goaltender.

Julie nodded and a small sniffle escaped. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Hey Cat come on please don't cry" Goldberg pulled Julie in for a brotherly hug making Julie cried even harder. It never occurred to her before just how much Goldberg really cared about his friends. She was so used to the wisecracking, farting Goldberg that she forgot about his softer side.

"I'm sorry" she said between sniffles.

"You know it's a good thing you don't wear that make up junk otherwise you'd have to be apologising to my mom" Goldberg joked making her smile a little.

"Oh shut up Goldie" she said lightly punching his chest as she was pressed against it.

"Oh that's just great, I offer you my shirt as a Kleenex and there you go telling me to shut up" Goldberg joked gently leading her towards their next class.

"Sorry Goldberg" Julie said laughing slightly.

"I forgive you just this once" Goldberg continued. When they reached the door to their classroom Goldberg reach out and gently wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"We don't want the preppy snobs thinking we're anything less than tough" he said lightly before opening the door.

Julie quickly leaned over and kissed his cheek "Thanks Goldberg" she said.

"Anytime Catlady" he replied turning away quickly before she could see him blush. Girls didn't usually kiss Greg Goldberg and he tried his hardest not to let the tingling sensation on his cheek where she'd kissed him bother him. The last thing Julie needed was him getting a crush on her, he thought taking his seat next to Luis and he certainly didn't need a pounding from Scooter and the Varsity team if they ever found out.

* * *

"Ouch that looks nasty" Banks whispered surprised that a girl as little as Linda could hit that hard. He'd been fooled once before though, he thought Connie was too petite to pack much of a punch but he soon found out she was every inch as tough as the guys after she decked Olaf Sanderson from Iceland in the championship game of the Goodwill Games.

"I don't want to talk about it" Charlie snapped pretending to be engrossed in his Geography worksheet.

"Okay" Adam said turning towards his own worksheet.

"Class I have to step out for a few minutes, keep working on chapter 12. and don't even think about trying any funny business. I'll be quizzing you on this stuff tomorrow" the teacher warned before leaving the room.

Almost immediately two JV cheerleaders flocked to Adam and Charlie's desk.

"So Adam, I hear that you're not dating Sascha anymore" the one Adam knew as Emma cooed trying to be smooth.

"Yeah, so?" Adam said trying to give them the hint that he wasn't interested. News about him and Connie hadn't gotten around yet and they were hoping to keep their relationship to themselves for a little while longer.

"So I was wondering if you needed help to get over her" Emma replied running her hand up his arm.

"No thanks" Adam replied turning towards Charlie as if he was going to say something but was interrupted by Emma.

"Well if you change your mind" she said kissing her fingertips and placing them on Adam's lips before walking back to her seat making sure she was wiggling her backside with her friend right beside her.

Adam ignored them and turned to Charlie "Can you believe some of these girls?" he whispered.

Charlie just nodded glumly "Yeah, none of them even compare to Linda" he said softly placing his head in his hands.

_Or Connie_ Adam thought to himself turning his attention back to his geography work. He couldn't wait to see Connie again at practice that afternoon.

* * *

"I can tell this is gonna be a whole lot of fun" Portman complained to Fulton as they dragged themselves to practice.

"Yeah I know, if Coach says anything to Charlie he's gonna rip his head off" Fulton replied as they made their way down to the locker rooms.

"Hey guys, practice has been cancelled. Coach Orion had an emergency to attend" Connie came walking down the hallway with Adam trailing behind her with a goofy grin on his face.

"Sweet! Not about the emergency part, that kinda sucks but I don't think I can handle Charlie's mood today" Fulton piped up wondering whether he should go find Hayley or not.

"Tell me about it, he's been going on and on about it since it happened" Adam spoke rolling his eyes when the others laughed.

"Its what you get for sharing a room with him Cake-Eater" Portman laughed slapping the smaller boy on the back.

"Aw guys be nice to Banksie, it can't be easy sharing a room with temper tantrum Charlie" Connie stood up for Adam.

"Only for you Connie Wonnie" Fulton said in a high voice and pinching her cheeks.

"Do that again and I'll castrate you" she warned slapping his hand away.

"I love it when she gets feisty" Averman butted in coming up behind the Bash Brothers.

"Bite me Averman" Connie said pushing past the three guys.

"I'd love to Connie but I just ate" Averman replied and the Bash Brothers laughed. Once in a while Averman came out with something ballsy.

"GRRR!" Connie threw her hands up in frustration and walked off leaving two amused Bash Brothers, a beaming Averman and a scared looking Banks behind.

"I'm gonna go for a skate" Banks said quickly running off in the direction Connie went. He knew it was the lamest excuse ever but he was sure the Bash Brothers wouldn't catch on to what was really going on.

"That's Banks for you, always thinking about hockey and skating" Fulton replied.

"Dude I'm starving, wanna hit Maccas?" Portman said feeling his stomach growling. All thoughts about Banks and hockey had escaped his mind.

"Yeah" Fulton said "We gotta go get Kenny though" he said feeling guilty that he hadn't been hanging out with the little Bash Brother lately.

"Have fun, I'll be going now" Averman said a little disappointed, he knew he wouldn't be invited on this trip with the Bashes.

"Aren't you coming?" Portman boomed slapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh am I invited?" Averman asked surprised. He pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Duh yeah you are" Fulton replied wondering why Averman was so surprised that they'd invite him out with them.

"Um okay then I'll go" Averman replied trying not to let his excitement show too much.

"Dude whatever, come on lets get K-Man" Portman took off down the hall swinging his hockey bag around as he went.

Fulton playfully punched Averman and took off down the hall after Portman.

_Man hanging with the Bashes is gonna be a painful experience_ Averman thought wincing from the punch. He didn't have a very strong pain threshold.

* * *

Allie was just taking the squad through the last of the stretches for the practice when Dean Buckley showed up.

"Miss Taylor?" he called.

"Yes Dean?" Allie replied standing up. He never came to the cheerleading practices. Something big had to be going on.

"Are you almost finished? I'd like to see you in my office when you've changed" he said.

"Oh, um. Sure" Allie replied looking just as confused as the rest of the squad were.

"Good. That is all" he said walking back through the door he came from.

"I think we're done" Allie said to the other girls absent-mindedly. _Why does the Dean want to see me? Surely I'm not in any trouble _she thought as she walked to the locker rooms to shower and change.

"Wonder what the Dean wants" Hayley asked towel drying her hair.

"I have no idea, might be something to do with the team" Allie replied not really believing it. If it had been about the team then Dean Buckley would have just talked to all of them right there at practice and not have asked Allie to see him in his office.

"Good luck" Hayley called as Allie picked up her gym bag and walked out of the locker room.


	8. An Investigation

She arrived at Dean Buckley's office only to be met with Mr Riley, a few members of the alumni and the police.

"Miss Taylor please take a seat" Dean Buckley ordered calmly.

Allie could feel her heart beat faster. _What was this all about?_ She wondered.

"Miss Taylor some serious allegations have been made against a student in this school and it involves you. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Dean Buckley started.

Allie swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and attempted to ignore the cold stares of Mr Riley and the rest of the alumni as she realised what this was all about.

"Is this about Josh Stiles?" Allie asked quietly.

"Ah so there is a situation you are aware of?" Mr Riley spoke giving Allie a cold hard glare.

"Well sort of, I mean I only know what I was told by witnesses" Allie replied weakly sensing that a trap was about to be laid before her.

"What do you mean by sort of Allie?" Dean Buckley asked concerned.

"I don't actually remember anything. One minute I was at the dance talking to a friend and the next I woke up in my dorm room" Allie replied wondering what the police officers were writing down in their little notebooks.

"Do you know why you don't remember anything?" one of the police officers asked.

"I think I may have been drugged. I didn't feel very well the next day" Allie replied.

"Had you consumed any alcohol prior to the alleged incident?" the police continued.

"No" Allie replied firmly.

"Why wasn't this incident reported when it happened?" Mr Riley butted in asking the question everyone wanted to know "I mean if you say Mr Stiles raped you then why didn't you go to the police before?"

"I never said he raped me, he would have if someone hadn't have come along and pulled him off" Allie said feeling tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't believe what Mr Riley had just said. _Wonder where Rick gets it from? _She wondered sarcastically.

"How would you know? You just said it yourself that you don't remember" Mr Riley continued.

"I don't remember, but three people have told me that's what happened" Allie replied looking Mr Riley in the eye to show that she was not afraid of him.

"May I have the names of these three people?" the police asked.

Allie hesitated, she didn't want to involve the others in this.

"Miss Taylor?" the police insisted.

"Dean Portman, Julie Gaffney and Scott Vanderbilt" Allie finally answered.

"Oh, two members of JV Hockey who have made it no secret they dislike Varsity and Mr Vanderbilt who has no sense of team spirit" Mr Riley interrupted.

Allie was about to give Mr Riley a piece of her mind when Dean Buckley stood up from behind his desk.

"I think that is all we need at this stage. Thank you Miss Taylor for your time. We will be in touch" he said dismissing her.

Allie left the office and headed straight back to the gym. She didn't even bother getting changed again as she made a beeline for the boxing bag in the corner where she beat the shit out of it until her knuckles bled whilst wishing it was Josh Stiles, Rick Riley and Tom Riley all in one.

* * *

Allie finally picked herself up off the floor of the gym to find the first aid kit for her hands when the stinging sensation finally registered in her brain. She had calmed down slightly but was still incredibly pissed about what happened in the Dean's office earlier.

She found some gauze and a small strip of adhesive and cleaned the cuts before strapping them up firmly.

As she was about to leave the gym a figure appeared and grabbed her arm hard.

"Hey!" Allie protested trying to shake herself loose. She looked up to see Josh Stiles glaring down at her.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at Allie? I could get expelled for this you know" Josh said angrily.

"Let go of me Josh. I didn't start anything. It was _you _who drugged me. You're just pissed off that other people found out and told me what really happened" Allie tried to stand her ground. She could feel herself starting to shake with fear. _Don't let him see it_ she willed herself to stay strong.

"And you believe that JV loser. I could make things hell for you Allie, Rick could make things even worse too. Do you want that?" Josh threatened tightening his grip on her arm. The bruises from his first attack had long since healed but Allie could feel her skin starting to hurt again.

"You don't scare me Josh and neither does Rick Riley" Allie said in a firm voice.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you. It could get you into trouble" Josh replied tracing the outline of her mouth with his index finger.

"And I'd watch your hands if I were you, they've already gotten you into trouble" Allie said slapping his hand away from her face.

Josh brought his hand up to slap her across the face hard. Allie stumbled back slightly. She didn't grab her face or cry, she glared hard at him finally wrenching her other arm free from his grasp.

"You're going to pay for that" she told him in a menacing voice curling her fists up.

"Yeah right Allie, no one believes your story about me drugging you and no one will believe I hit you either" Josh laughed thoroughly convinced by his own words.

"I never said I was gonna tell anyone you hit me" Allie said laying the trap.

"Right, so how am I gonna pay then huh?" Josh replied as Allie predicted he would.

She brought her fist up to give him a strong right hook to the jaw. Her knuckles ached as they made contact with his flesh but she ignored the pain. The satisfaction of finally hitting him was too strong.

"That's how you're gonna pay asshole and there'll be more to come if you EVER touch me again" she advised pushing past him to retrieve her bag and slamming the gym door shut behind her.

"Bitch" he muttered after her holding his face where she'd slugged him.

* * *

Portman, feeling full and satisfied after his McDonald's excursion, was on his way back to his dorm when he saw his girlfriend walking across the lawn at a rapid pace obviously trying to ignore the person who was running behind her to catch up.

Portman nudged Fulton and indicated towards Allie and Fulton nodded in agreement, grabbing Ken and Averman the four hockey players made their way towards the cheerleader and her stalker before a fight could break out.

"Allie wait up!" Scooter yelled out of breath. The last thing he'd expected to see this afternoon was Allie pounding on his door with bandaged knuckle, one hand still bleeding, a red mark on her face and her temper completely out of control.

"Get lost Scooter" Allie yelled back furious. She'd gone to tell him what had happened and she'd found out that he knew all about the investigation and it hadn't occurred to him to tell her before the meeting in the Dean's office.

"Allie, I'm sorry" Scooter pleaded.

"What are you sorry for Scooter? Sorry for being a selfish jerk who is only wrapped up in his own problems to even bother to warn me that there's a bloody school investigation about me?" Allie replied stopping and turning around to face him.

"Yes! I'm a selfish jerk. Allie I'm so sorry" Scooter begged. He'd already lost Julie, he wasn't about to lose his best friend too.

"They ambushed me Scooter, Dean Buckley, that fucking jerk Tom Riley and his old fart alumni cronies, the cops. They didn't believe one frigging word I said" Allie's temper was still high.

"They're idiots Allie, you've got my word, Julie's word and Portman's word. Plus there's Hayley who saw how you were after it happened. Don't worry, we're all behind you" Scooter said finding the words that would help calm her down.

"Thanks" she replied softly.

"What's going on?" Portman panted. He'd been running to come to Allie's rescue if she needed it.

"The school's launched an investigation into the Josh incident. Don't know why they bothered since they don't believe me anyway. God that guy is such a wanker!" Allie swore making Ken and Averman look worried.

"When did this happen?" Portman asked feeling incredibly guilty that he was off having a good time with his friends while Allie was defending herself all alone.

"Dean Buckley came to practice and said he wanted to see me in his office. Dean Buckley's okay, I guess but when I got there Tom Riley was there with the rest of the Alumni and the cops were there too. They started asking all of these questions and Riley even had the balls to insinuate that I either drugged myself and blamed it on Josh or I was making the entire thing up cos I couldn't remember any details" Allie said seeing Portman's face slowly turning red and it wasn't from embarrassment, it was from anger.

"Those assholes!" Portman exploded.

"It's okay baby, I'm gonna tell them exactly what happened. Scooter and Julie saw the entire thing too. It's gonna be fine" Portman said wrapping his arms around Allie and hugging her from behind.

"Thanks" Allie said placing her hands over his arms.

Portman suddenly let go of her and spun her around placing her hands gently in his own "Baby what happened to your hands?" he asked worried she'd been hurt.

"Oh nothing, I hit the punching bag to let some anger out. I think I went overboard though" Allie said sheepishly wishing he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. She knew she was now going to have to tell him about what happened afterwards with Josh.

"Oh" Portman replied not sure whether to laugh or scold her. Then he noticed her right hand still bleeding.

"You're still bleeding" he reported half expecting her to reply with a "no duh". Instead she just looked at her hand and then looked at the grass by her feet.

"What is it?" Portman asked nervously glancing from Fulton to Scooter and to Averman and Ken who were still confused by the entire situation. They had no idea what happened after the dance.

"Josh cornered me in the gym and I punched him" Allie said softly.

"That's it, I'm gonna kill him" Portman was ready to fly off the handle and go find Josh but Allie, Scooter and Fulton held him back.

"He's not worth it. Besides you already hit him and you promised I could remember?" Allie said cheekily.

"Yeah I remember, I just don't like seeing you hurt that's all" he said putting his arms around her once more.

"Its okay, it was totally worth it" Allie laughed deciding she'd leave the part about Josh slapping her first out of the conversation for now. She'd tell him later when they were alone.

"You sure you don't want to play hockey, you can be a Bash Sister with Connie" Fulton asked seriously making Allie laugh.

"Yeah slight problem, I am completely un-coordinated on the ice. I spend more time on my butt than on my feet" Allie confessed blushing slightly when the four hockey players laughed.

"Maybe I'll just have to teach you" Portman said rubbing her shoulder making Scooter snort.

"Good luck mate, I already tried that one" he laughed as Allie gave him a fake evil glare.

"I wasn't that bad" she protested pouting.

"Sweetie, you were hopeless" Scooter laughed hysterically.

"That's it, I'm doing a Scooter sucks cheer at the next game as payback" she threatened knowing this would make Scooter stop laughing. The Varsity team had done it to Cole at a pep rally once. It had earned them 2 weeks detention and Coach Wilson had to pre-approve all cheerleading material before it was performed in public for months but the prank was completely worth it.

"Okay, I'm sorry" Scooter said quickly, ignoring the confused looks from the other boys.

"Long story" Allie explained. "I'd better go, I've got a tonne of homework to do and I don't want to give those stupid alumni fuckwits any more ammo against me" Allie said giving Portman a quick kiss on the lips before walking towards the female dorms.

"Bye guys" she called to the other guys standing in the group.

"Bye Allie" they chorused returning to their own dorm building.

* * *

"Man I fucking hate this" Portman fumed desperately wanting something or someone to hit.

"Yeah I know" Fulton agreed sinking down onto his bed.

"I can't believe they'd do that to her. It's basically a bunch of grown men trying to intimidate a young girl because they can't handle the fact their little precious sons aren't so perfect after all" Ken piped up. He didn't know Allie all that well but he knew what Tom Riley and the rest of the Alumni were doing was wrong.

"Howdy y'all why y'alls looking so glum?" Dwayne's cheery southern accented voice filled the room. The boys looked up to see him in the doorway with Russ behind him.

"Preppy snobs and their stupid Alumnis" Portman replied grumpily.

Dwayne looked confused so Fulton obliged and filled him in on what was happening.

"I don't like that man" Dwayne said seriously when Fulton had finished explaining. The others knew that a person had to be really awful for Dwayne not to like them since Dwayne pretty much liked everyone.

"Join the club cowboy" Portman answered absent-mindedly. He'd been imagining himself beating Rick Riley, his dad, Josh and the rest of the Alumni to a bloody pulp for how they were treating his girlfriend.

"There's a club?" Dwayne asked wide-eyed. The others burst out into laughter.

"It's an expression man" Russ managed to spit out between laughs.

"Oh, I see" Dwayne replied grinning when he finally understood.

The boys started up a conversation about hockey and how they were going to crush the Huskies at the next game when a knock on the door interrupted.

Fulton opened the door to reveal Dean Buckley.

"Dean" Fulton said politely. He knew why the Dean was there, he'd come for Portman.

"Dean Portman?" Buckley asked. He knew he was talking to one of the Bash Brothers but he'd forgotten which one was which.

"No, I'll get him" Fulton said opening the door wider so the others could see who was at the door. "Portman visitor" Fulton announced making his way back to his bed.

Portman stood up and took a breath. He too knew why the Dean was at his door.

"Dean" Portman greeted in the same polite tone as Fulton had used moments before. Inside his brain was screaming for him to lash out at Dean Buckley but common sense had won out, he didn't want to make things worse for Allie.

"Mr Portman, I understand you were witness to an incident after the last school dance involving Josh Stiles and Allie Taylor" Dean Buckley was getting the formalities out of the way.

"Yes sir" Portman said firmly trying to send the message that he was 100 percent certain as to what he saw that night.

"Then I must give you this" Dean Buckley handed Portman an envelope. "It contains an official request for you to give evidence at an Inquest to be held in the Board Room. You don't have to attend" Dean Buckley paused before lowering his voice to almost a whisper so that only Portman could hear "but it wouldn't look good for Miss Taylor if you didn't show. Between you and me, I think she could use all of the support she can get" he added giving Portman a look that said _don't you dare repeat that_.

"I'll be there for sure" Portman said taking the envelope from the Dean.

Dean Buckley simply nodded "I'll be on my way then, good day gentlemen" he acknowledged the other four boys in the room.

"Bye Dean" Ken and Dwayne replied politely. Russ and Fulton remained silent, they still didn't like the whole business with the investigation.

"You don't seem too upset" Fulton quizzed Portman the second he'd shut the door.

Portman couldn't contain his grin "Put it this way, at least one influential person is on her side. But you didn't hear that otherwise we'll get her into even more trouble" his grin turned to a stern look as he made the point that he was serious.

"Sure man, it doesn't leave this room" Russ promised.

The others nodded their agreement.

"Hey who's up for some puck before curfew?" Dwayne asked suddenly feeling very energetic.

"Sure, any excuse to bang some heads" Portman grinned evilly at the other guys.

"I'm more in the mood for Cowboy Round Up" Ken suggested hopefully. He didn't want to get crushed by the Bash Brothers. Even when they were just playing around it still hurt.

"Me too" Russ agreed thinking the exact same thing as Ken. Whenever they played street puck everyone always wanted to be on the same team as the Bash Brothers so that they didn't get pummelled.

"Aw alright then wimps" Portman laughed grabbing his hockey bag "Shall we get the grumpy Captain or leave him be?" he asked cheekily.

"Maybe it'll cheer Charlie up" Dwayne suggested optimistically. There was basically a 50/50 chance that hockey would shake Charlie's foul mood for a while.

"Cowboy's just volunteered to knock on Spazway's door" Russ piped up moving out of the room towards his own.

"I'll get Luis and Averman" Ken suggested quickly before he was roped into going with Dwayne to Charlie and Adam's room.

"I'll grab Goldberg and Guy but if Guy's with that skank Sascha chick again I'm gonna kick his ass" Russ laughed as he took off down the hall.

"I guess I'll get Connie and Julie, they'll flip if they find out we played Cowboy Round Up without them" Fulton

"I think I might see if Allie and Hayley wanna come too." Portman said praising himself silently for coming up with a scheme to see Allie again that night.

"Hey yeah, good idea" Fulton replied brightening up as he picked up his own hockey bag and the two bash brothers headed out towards the girls dorm rooms.

* * *

"Jules you have to promise you won't tell any of the other Ducks. Allie's the only one that knows and she promised not to tell anyone, not even Portman" Connie pleaded.

"Hey I promise" Julie said slightly amused. She'd gotten the biggest shock of her life when she'd opened the door to her dorm room to find Connie and Adam making out on Connie's bed. She wasn't sure who was more embarrassed, Connie, Adam or herself.

"Thanks Jules!" Connie exclaimed happily. She had felt terrible the last couple of days sneaking around and lying to Julie to be with Adam so a part of her felt relieved that she'd found out.

"I already suspected it anyway" Julie added cheekily trying not to laugh as she saw Adam turn an even brighter shade of red.

Connie was about to reply when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in" she yelled moving a little bit away from Adam. She didn't want to swear another person to secrecy.

"Hey guys, oh Adam, good you're here" Fulton sounded a little out of breath as if he'd been running. Connie relaxed. She should've realised that no one would think it was strange that Adam was in the girls' dorm room as most of the boys hung out there regularly.

"Hey Fult what's up?" Julie asked, it wasn't very often that Fulton paid the girls a visit on his own.

"Cowboy Round Up in the arena before curfew. You guys interested?" he asked knowing what their answers were when all three of them broke out into huge smiles.

"Yeah!" Adam exclaimed jumping up off of Connie's bed.

Connie and Julie responded by ditching whatever homework they'd been pretending to do and picking up their respective hockey bags.

"Lets go!" Connie exclaimed.

"I need to get my hockey gear first" Adam replied "I'll catch up with you guys at the arena" he shot a subtle adoring look at Connie before he left the room.

"Alright. Hey Portman's just gone to see if Allie and Hayley wanna come too" Fulton informed the two girls.

"Cool" Julie exclaimed ushering Fulton out of their room before she closed and locked the door.

"You lock your dorm room too?" Fulton asked.

"JV cheerleaders are thieves" Connie replied.

"That's what Hayley and Allie said" Fulton mused wandering off towards Allie and Hayley's room with Connie and Julie in tow.

* * *

"I still don't get this Hayls" Allie complained getting ready to throw her Algebra textbook out of the window.

"I know me neither" Hayley replied feeling just as frustrated as Allie was. She'd decided to support her friend when Allie had told her she was doing her homework early to give the impression she was a good student for the investigation by joining her.

"Ugh! That's it I'm done!" Allie finally declared slapping the textbook shut and throwing it on the floor.

"I hear ya" Hayley said doing the same with her own textbook.

A sharp knock on their door startled both girls.

Allie got up to open the door to find Portman grinning broadly at her.

"Wanna play some Cowboy Round Up?" he asked brightly leaning on her doorway.

"Cowboy what?" Allie asked confused.

"Duck specialty, Cowboy Round Up" Portman declared proudly.

"Does it involve skating?" Allie asked cautiously. She was sure she'd already told him she couldn't skate to save her life.

"Yeah but it also involves dodging Dwayne. Maybe I can hide in the penalty box with you" Portman's grin grew wider and he wiggled his eyebrows at her in a joking manner.

"Sure babe, can't think of anything better to do" Allie replied cheekily "At least I wont have to skate" she added turning her back on him to grab a jacket.

"You coming too Hayley?" Portman turned his attention towards Allie's roommate.

"Sure sounds like fun" Hayley replied grabbing her keys and phone.

Portman snuck up behind Allie and scooped her up in his arms.

"C'mon Princess the ice awaits" he boomed running out of the room with her in his arms. He ran past an amused looking Fulton, Connie, Julie and Adam.

"Has he had too much sugar today?" Hayley asked the group of four staring after Portman and Allie and shaking her head.

"Nah he's just excited. Cowboy Round Up and his girl all in one. You know it does things to a man" Fulton explained with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Fulton Reed don't even think about doing that to me" Hayley warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it. As I remember you kicked me in the ass on your way up for a piggy back the other day" Fulton laughed.

"Maybe if your ass wasn't so big...." Hayley retorted but quickly shut up seeing the look on his face.

"You're going to pay for that one cheerleader" he warned.

"Connie help!" Hayley screeched as she took off running with Fulton on her tail.

"The bashes are so funny when they're in love" Connie laughed.

* * *

"I felt like such a tool!" Allie complained as she got dressed for school the next day. As promised, she'd spent more time on her butt than on her feet.

"Yeah but it was fun though" Hayley replied groaning as she forced herself out of bed feeling her muscles aching from the hard skating she'd done last night in order to avoid Dwayne and his rope. In the end Dwayne had proven too good for the rest of them and had managed to rope every single person on the ice at least three times.

"I know, until Mr Barnes showed up and ruined it all" Allie responded referring to Mr Barnes, Eden Hall's science teacher who'd come into the arena to investigate all the noise and yelled at them for being out past curfew. "At least he didn't give us detention" she added.

"Perks of being on the hockey team I guess" Hayley said glad that they were let off with a warning because the teacher was under the impression that they were all on the hockey team.

"Lucky them, we never get away with anything!" Allie said pulling her long hair back off of her face and tying it into a ponytail.

"That's cos we're on Varsity with stupid Tom Riley breathing down our necks" Hayley replied "_You are Varsity, the pride of the school, you are like royalty and you girls should start acting like it!_" Hayley laughed mimicking the speech Tom Riley had given the girls time and time again after he'd caught them doing something they really shouldn't have been doing.

"Don't get me started on that jerk!" Allie groaned grabbing her bag ready to head off to class.


	9. Asked to Leave

"Whoa! Who's the guy in the suit?" Goldberg asked. A well dressed man had just emerged from a chauffeur-driven black SUV as the Ducks were sitting outside the main entrance to Eden Hall.

"Don't know but from the way Dean Buckley's hovering around him I'd say he's pretty important" Charlie remarked. After the game of Cowboy Round Up the previous night, he was starting to interact with the Ducks again. All except Julie that is.

"Probably another rich snob getting daddy to check out the school" Portman still a little pissed that his time with Allie and the Ducks had been cut short by the stupid science teacher last night.

"So do we take bets on why this dude's here?" Averman joked pretending to be a bookie.

"I think I like this guy, did you see the way he just completely ignored Riley?" Fulton remarked when he said the man give Tom Riley a cold stare before following the Dean into his office.

"Yeah that was sweet!" Russ laughed. He loved it when preppys got mad at each other, he found it hilarious.

"Don't think your girlfriend's father is going to get her out of this one just because he's David Taylor and can hire any lawyer in the country" Rick Riley's snide voice emerged from behind Portman.

"That's Allie's dad?" Ken asked as the rest of the group except Portman, Julie and Connie looked stunned. Allie didn't act like a preppy rich snob.

"Oh oops did I let the Princess' secret out" Rick smirked before walking off.

"Why didn't she say anything?" Fulton asked trying to read Portman's reaction to the news.

"Cos she doesn't care about money" Portman replied and Connie and Julie nodded their agreement.

"You knew?" Fulton asked Portman feeling a little hurt that Portman had kept a secret from him. He'd always thought they'd shared everything.

"Yeah she told me but made me promise not to tell anyone, sorry dude" Portman said sensing Fulton's hurt.

"Oh" Fulton said before Portman turned his attention to Connie and Julie.

"Wait, you two knew as well?" he asked.

"Yeah Scooter's mum let it slip" Connie said wishing she could retract what she'd just said when she saw Julie's jaw tense up at the mention of Scooter.

"When did you meet Scooter's mum?" Guy asked oblivious to the tension Scooter's name was causing between Charlie and Julie.

"When we went out with Allie" Connie replied quickly before adding "I wonder why Allie's dad's here" to change the subject.

"Beats me. I might go find her" Portman announcing getting up from his spot on the grass.

"I might come too" Julie said quickly getting up. She had been meaning to tell Allie about the notice to attend the investigation to give evidence but it kept slipping her mind. Plus she wanted to get as far away from Charlie as she could at that moment.

* * *

Allie paused when she reached the door to Dean Buckley's office. She was trying to ignore the wave of nausea she was feeling ever since the Dean's Assistant knocked on her dorm room door and told her that the Dean wanted to see her in his office.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" she asked immediately feeling relief when she saw that it was her father sitting in the office rather than Tom Riley.

"Aren't you all packed?" her father asked.

"Packed for what?" Allie replied having no idea what he was talking about.

"I thought you said you'd notified her of this" he turned to Dean Buckley.

"Well yes, Tom Riley offered to do it" Dean Buckley looked confused.

"Figures" Mr Taylor answered not at all surprised that Tom Riley would stoop so low.

"Oh my, I do apologise" Dean Buckley said feeling incredibly embarrassed.

"What's going on?" Allie demanded looking from her father to Dean Buckley.

"Sweetheart" her father began. "The Board has decided to follow procedure and ask that you take a leave of absence until the investigation is over" he said in the gentlest tone he could muster. He knew she was going to explode at this news.

"Are you kidding me? I haven't done anything wrong!" Allie exclaimed feeling her temper rising by the second.

"I know honey but the Board has to follow the rules on this one. I might not hurt to have a break huh?" her father replied hoping to calm her down.

"What about Josh? Does he have to leave too?" Allie demanded half expecting the Dean to say that Josh was allowed to stay at the school.

"Mr Stiles has already left the premises" Dean Buckley replied.

"This is ridiculous" Allie exclaimed before turning to leave the room.

"Where are you going Allie?" Mr Taylor asked.

"To pack" Allie replied dryly before storming out.

* * *

Allie was almost in tears by the time she made it back to her dorm. She'd been thinking about Portman and how much it would suck that she wouldn't get to see him half as much as she used to since her dad's house was on the complete opposite of town. There had been a time where she loved the seclusion but now she was cursing it.

Hayley was nowhere in sight when she entered the dorm. Allie took a good look around at their dorm room. _I'm gonna miss this place_ she thought sadly. _Who knows how long the stupid investigation will take _she thought as she kicked a pair of socks out of the way.

She reluctantly dragged her suitcases out from under her bed and started on the depressing task of packing up all of her stuff. She paused when she came to Portman's leather jacket that she still had from that night they went for a walk a few weeks ago. A single tear escaped her eye and she let it fall down her cheek thinking about how happy she'd been until now.

Snapping herself out of it she placed Portman's jacket aside and continued her packing trying to squish in all of her clothes and shoes. She adopted Hayley's tactic at packing a stuffed suitcase by sitting on it whilst trying to close the zipper up on it. Surprisingly it worked. Apparently there was some method to Hayley's madness.

"Going somewhere?" Portman's voice was heard through the room. Allie spun around to see him and Julie at the door looking around in confusion.

Allie couldn't bring herself to speak so she just nodded.

"Why?" Julie asked softly. Portman's face turned hard. He was worried that he'd never see her again.

Allie took a deep breath before she spoke. "The Board says I have to take a _leave of absence_ until the investigation's over" she said in a small voice.

"But they can't do that can they?" Julie blurted out as Portman rushed over to give his girlfriend a hug.

"They can and they are" Allie said from the depths of Portman's chest.

"That's just so stupid" Julie replied alarming herself as she realised she sounded just like Connie.

"I guess that's why your dad's here huh?" Portman said softly letting go of her long enough for them to sit side by side on Hayley's clutter-free bed, his arms still wrapped around Allie.

"How do you know who my dad is?" Allie asked hoping it wasn't because Portman had been rude to him not realising who he was.

"Oh Rick Riley decided to fill everyone in on your dad's financial status" Portman replied shifting slightly to allow enough space for Julie to sit on the other side of Allie.

"Oh, I guess they were shocked then" Allie said glumly. She hoped that no one treated her differently now that they knew that David Taylor, the most sought after architect in the country, was her father.

"Yeah but I think only Banks knew what his reputation was. The rest wouldn't have recognised the name" Julie said softly. She too was surprised that her dad was David Taylor, he had done some work for the richest people in Maine and it was splashed all over the Bangor newspapers. She knew Allie was rich but she never mentioned who her father was.

"Hey don't worry about it, I'm sure they won't call you cake-eater. That name's taken!" Portman laughed.

"You are so mean to Adam" Julie scoffed smiling when she saw Allie's face lighten up a bit.

"He loves it!" Portman argued "Its just like calling you 'the Cat'".

"Alright point taken" Julie laughed knowing she wasn't going to win this argument.

"Are we almost ready Allie?" her father interrupted surprised to find two of her friends with her.

"Nearly" Allie replied noticing the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach returning, _its really happening_ she thought as she got up off the bed and returned to her packing.

"Okay sweetheart, half an hour and I expect you to be in the car" Mr Taylor felt a little guilty for rushing his daughter when she obviously didn't want to leave but he had an incredibly important meeting at the house that afternoon and Allie was required to be present.

Allie nodded as he turned towards Julie and Portman.

"And who might your friends be dear?" he asked smiling warmly at the pair.

"Oh sorry, this is Julie Gaffney and Dean Portman" Allie supplied hoping he wasn't about to give Portman the third degree. Fortunately for her he wasn't.

"Miss Gaffney, Mr Portman, pleasure to met you" he said business like.

"Same to you" Julie said politely and Portman simply smiled. He was afraid he was going to burst out laughing as he still wasn't used to people being so formal.

Mr Taylor shot Allie one last smile before heading back out of the room to leave the friends alone again.

"He seems nice" Julie said leaping off the bed to see if there was anything she could do to help.

"You're not on his bad side" Allie laughed shoving some magazines into her backpack.

"Yeah we saw him stare down ol' Papa Riley earlier, Russ thought it was fantastic" Portman recalled hoping that Julie would leave soon so that he could be alone with Allie.

"Yeah dad knows all about Tom Riley and he can't stand him" Allie laughed.

She stopped what she was doing to allow Portman to come up behind her and massage her shoulders.

"Smart man" he whispered in her ear.

Julie took this as her cue to leave. "I'd better be going. I'm sure there's gonna be a few people who'll wanna see you before you go" she said the idea occurring to her to inform Scooter and Hayley.

"Oh okay. I guess I'll see you sometime soon" Allie said breaking free from Portman's grasp and giving her new friend a big hug. "Thanks for everything Julie" she whispered feeling the tears rise up.

"No thank you Allie" Julie whispered back suddenly unable to control herself as she allowed her own tears to fall.

"God we're pathetic!" Allie laughed as they released each other and saw that they were both crying.

"I know" Julie replied grinning.

"If you ever feel like taking a really long trip across town you can always visit me" Allie said wiping her eyes. "Scooter and Hayley have my address" she said walking Julie over to the door.

"Okay I will and you come and visit us too" Julie scolded.

Allie shook her head "I can't, I'm banned from entering Eden Hall premises until the investigations over. That includes hockey games too" she said sadly.

"Grr they think of everything don't they" Julie complained feeling angry that the school was basically treating Allie like an outcast.

"I know, but hey can you give all the Ducks one of these" Allie gave her another hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Sure" Julie replied sadly.

"Thanks I know Portman wouldn't dare do that to any of the guys" Allie whispered so that Portman couldn't hear. This caused both girls to crack up laughing.

"Aw I'm gonna miss you" Julie said giving Allie another quick hug before she walked off down the hallway yelling "See ya soon" over her shoulder. She sensed Portman would kill her if she didn't leave them alone soon.

"See ya" Allie called before returning to the room.

"Ugh!" she said slumping her shoulders and looking defeated "I hate this so much".

Portman held his arms out and she collapsed into them. They stood there for the longest time not saying anything creating a comfortable silence between them. They were happy just being with each other.

"C'mon me lady we'd better go" Portman said reluctantly after a while.

"Do we have to?" Allie mumbled burying her face deeper into his chest.

"Knowing the Alumni they'd arrest you if you were still here" Portman tried joking to lighten the mood.

"No doubt" Allie agreed letting him go and picking up her bulky suitcase.

"Oi" Portman protested taking the suitcase from her "You're not carrying that" he scolded handing her the backpack instead.

"Yes boss" Allie rolled her eyes at him making him laugh.

"Oh, your leather jacket" she picked it up and offered it to him.

"Keep it babe, you need something to remind you of me" Portman grinned slightly. He was trying his hardest to keep it together for her sake. She was bummed enough about leaving already and she didn't need to hear his rants about it right now.

"Thanks" Allie mumbled laying the jacket across her forearm.

Portman didn't say anything more as he held the door open for her to exit first.

The pair made their way out to the car slowly neither of them wanting the final moment to come. Who knew how long the investigation would take to wrap up and what if they took Josh's side?

* * *

Julie paused outside Scooter's dorm room. Part of her wanted to run away in the opposite direction and hide from him for the rest of eternity. She knew she'd blown every chance she had at getting back together with him.

"Looking for someone?" Scooter's bitter voice startled Julie. She spun around to see him walking up the hallway with a towel in his hand.

"Oh um, yeah you actually" Julie stammered feeling like an idiot.

"Why so you can rub it in even further" Scooter scoffed setting his face even harder.

"What? No, Allie's leaving" Julie blurted out not wanting to have another argument with him.

"What? Why would she be leaving?" Scooter asked surprised.

"The school's making her leave until the investigations over" Julie explained.

"Where is she?" he demanded shortly.

Julie tried to hide the hurt "She was with Portman in her room a few minutes ago but I think she'd be on her way to the car by now" she replied.

Scooter said a quick "Thanks" before rushing off down the hall at top speed. Without thinking Julie bolted after him.

"When you gonna get the hint honey? He's through with you" Cole smirked as Julie ran past him.

She chose to ignore him as she followed Scooter out towards the main entrance of the campus where she was surprised to find the Ducks and the entire Varsity cheerleaders plus Traci.

She stood next to Connie who looked extremely pissed off.

"You okay" Julie whispered.

"NO!" Connie exploded "This is so unfair"

"I know" Julie said sympathetically.

* * *

"You sure you don't want me to take one of those?" Allie asked trying to stifle a laugh as she watched Portman struggle to carry both suitcases.

"No I'm good" Portman lied putting on a great display on how tough he was.

"Alright then" Allie said amused by the whole show.

The reached the double doors that lead outside and both were surprised to find the crowd that stood before them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Allie asked amazed.

"News travels fast around here" Charlie said making everyone laugh at how the Eden Hall gossip chain worked.

"Yeah except I heard you were being arrested and hauled off to jail, I must say I'm disappointed, I wanted to see the SWAT team" Averman added earning himself a slap upside the head from Fulton.

"I resent that" Averman complained rubbing his head.

"Sorry to disappoint you Averman" Allie laughed moving closer to the group.

"I'll take those Sir" Mr Taylor's chauffeur took the suitcases from Portman who looked stunned at being called 'Sir'.

The group stood in silence for a few minutes not sure what to say.

"GROUP HUG!" Hayley suddenly yelled from Fulton's side as everyone rushed forward to envelope Allie and Portman in a big group hug.

"Ow I'm being squished like a bug" Goldberg's voice was heard from somewhere in the depths of the mass of people.

"Luis you're standing on my foot!" Ken complained giving Luis a shove which sent him into Scooter who fell onto Julie.

"Sorry" Scooter said softly looking into Julie's eyes.

"It's okay" she replied unable to tear her eyes away from him. He seemed to be having the same problem. _Maybe there's hope yet!_ She thought.

"Miss Allie it's time to go" the Chauffeur announced and the crowd slowly separated to reveal Allie, Portman, Hayley and Fulton in the middle still hugging.

"I guess I'll be seeing you" she said to Hayley and Fulton who nodded and stepped back.

Allie turned to Portman "I'd definitely be better seeing you" she said smiling weakly.

"You can bet on it" Portman said pulling her into a tight hug.

He let go of her and gave her a tender kiss before whispering "I love you"

Allie kissed him back and replied "I love you too" softly before turning towards the black SUV which already contained her father.

"Bye guys" she called as brightly as she could. Inside she felt like crying.

"Bye Allie" they chorused smiling and waving. She stole one last glance at Portman who gave her a wink. She returned his smile and climbed into the car that would take her away from Eden Hall.

"Quite a crowd to send you off wouldn't you say?" Mr Taylor asked Allie after they'd been on the road for a few minutes.

"Yeah I was surprised that many people cared" Allie said tearing her eyes away from the window to face her father.

"Looks like you have a lot of friends there" he continued.

"Yeah" Allie said looking down at her hands. She'd been really touched by the support by the Ducks who until a few weeks ago had thought she was an evil Varsity cheerleader out to get them.

Their conversation was interrupted by Mr Taylor's cell phone ringing.

"David Taylor" he answered not recognising the caller ID.

"Oh yes Susan" he addressed the person on the other line when they had identified themselves.

"Yes I can reschedule, just let me get my hands on my schedule for next week. Can you hold?" he asked as he handed the phone to Allie.

"Can you hold on to this please?" he asked before picking his briefcase up off the floor and opening it trying to locate his palm pilot.

He found the palm pilot and located his schedule for the next week. He took the phone from Allie "Thank you" he said quietly.

"Susan are you there?" he asked pausing to wait for her reply.

"I can fit Jeff and the team in on Thursday afternoon but it will need to be at my home. I won't be able to make it into your offices" he advised.

"Yes four o'clock is perfect. Thank you very much for calling. Goodbye" he closed his cell phone shut ending the call.

"Clients?" Allie asked out of politeness not really caring who was on the phone.

"No your lawyers" Mr Taylor said bracing himself for any outburst Allie would make.

"My lawyers? I don't have any lawyers" Allie said not understanding.

"I hired a team of lawyers to fight Eden Hall. We were to meet with them this afternoon but as you've just heard the meeting is now for next Thursday afternoon" Mr Taylor explained.

"Are they good?" Allie asked knowing what the answer was going to be.

"The best" Mr Taylor advised giving Allie the answer she'd been expecting.

"Good" she said softly turning her attention back to what was outside her window.

The rest of the trip went by in silence with Mr Taylor looking over his notes for client files and Allie had grabbed her Ipod out of her backpack and was reading a magazine Hayley had lent her.

She didn't notice when her father's sprawling estate came into view. As a child she had loved the huge grounds with lots of places to play hide and go seek with her friends and a huge outdoor pool to spend the summer days swimming. Last winter her father had the gym extended to accommodate an indoor heated pool for winter together with a hot tub.

"Mr Taylor, Miss Allie we have arrived" the Chauffer announced pressing the button above his visor to open the wrought iron security gates.

Allie took her headphones out and placed the Ipod and the magazine back into her backpack and took in the views as the SUV slowly made its way up the long winding driveway to the main house.

* * *

"You okay man?" Fulton asked his best friend. Portman hadn't said barely two words since Allie left that morning.

Portman just shrugged his face set in the bummed out expression he'd been sporting all day. Allie had only been gone for six hours and already he'd had girls coming up to him with offers to make him forget all about her. By the end of lunch he'd had enough and retreated back to the dorms where he stayed for the rest of the day.

"Why don't you call her?" Fulton suggested thinking he was being helpful.

"I don't have her number and I can't find Scooter or Hayley" Portman grumped.

"Oh, right" Fulton said softly feeling stupid. Of course Portman would have tried that already.

* * *

"Do you think there's anything we can do to cheer him up?" Connie asked.

Adam shrugged "I'm not sure if he wants to be cheered up. Maybe we should just let him feel sorry for himself for a while. Might do him some good" he said thoughtfully.

"I think Adam's right" Charlie cut in. He could envisage Portman biting their heads off before demanding to be left alone.

"I agree" Julie added feeling slightly uncomfortable sitting next to Charlie on the floor. She had made some progress with Scooter earlier that morning and she didn't want to do anything to mess it up.

"Okay then its settled, Operation Cheer Grumpy Bash Brother Up aborted" Averman pretended to write something in his notebook and cross it out as if the plan had been written down.

"I think Fulton went to see if he was okay anyway" Kenny said ignoring another joke from Averman.

"Man this bites" Luis declared throwing his head back in defeat. Traci had been incredibly upset about the entire situation and had exhausted Luis' shoulder to cry on.

"Yeah I know, stupid Riley and his friends are walking around all smug, I swear if they say one more thing about Allie and Portman I'm gonna rip his head off and shove it where the sun definitely doesn't shine" Russ made a rare outburst of violence.

"She said we can visit her if we're keen on spending an hour and a half on a bus" Julie said after a few minutes of rare silence between the Ducks.

"Where the hell does she live, Mexico?" Goldberg replied sarcastically.

"Wait a minute y'all I thought it took longer than that to get to Mexico" Dwayne mused flashing the rest of the group his 'confused face'.

"Joke Cowboy" Goldberg rolled his eyes as the others giggled. They were used to Dwayne's confusion and found it pretty funny at times.

"Oh I get it, phew! I was worried about having to go to Mexico, Coach Orion would be really mad if we went there" Dwayne replied as Russ couldn't handle it anymore and burst out laughing.

"Oh Cowboy you crack me up" he laughed shaking his head.

"Sorry Russ" Dwayne said softly hanging his head.

"No Dwayne, it's a good thing right now. We all need to laugh" Julie smiled encouragingly at him.

"Amen to that" Connie cut in fighting all urge to rest her head on Adam's shoulder. It was starting to bug her that they needed to keep it a secret. In her perfect world, she'd be able to hug and kiss Adam anytime she wanted to.

Adam patted Connie's arm in a manner that wouldn't make any of the other Ducks suspicious and she smiled briefly at him.

"I feel like we should get back at Riley and those other Varsity jerks. Any ideas?" Russ suggested.

"Itching powder in their pads?" Kenny suggested to a chorus of "Amateur" by the rest of the Ducks.

"Guys I think we should just leave it until the investigations over" Julie decided. "It might make things worse for Allie if we interfere. You know Rick will only dob to daddy who'll make sure the Board knows before the investigation starts and we'll look stupid on the witness stand" she explained.

"Yeah you're right, sorry Jules" Russ apologised feeling like an idiot. Of course a prank on Varsity right now would make things worse.

"Not to mention if anything goes wrong Portman will personally ensure you never play hockey again" Averman said "I wonder what creative way he'd use" he wondered causing Charlie to throw a scrunched up piece of paper at him.

"Shut up Averman" he said rolling his eyes before demanding the attention of the group.

"I say we plan the attack but don't carry it out until after the investigations over. Those Varsity jerks need to be taught a lesson" Charlie announced.

"Good idea!" Julie gave her agreement followed by the rest of the Ducks.

"Right so lets get to it" Charlie said pulling a notebook out of his backpack and the Ducks crowded around him to get in on the action.


	10. A surprise & they're busted!

"Allie are you in here?" Victoria, the Taylor's housekeeper asked knocking softly on the door to Allie's bedroom.

"Yeah Vicki come in" Allie replied shifting on her bed to sit cross legged with a pillow in her lap.

Vicki opened the huge double doors and entered the room struggling to carry a large box with holes in it.

"Here let me help" Allie jumped up from her bed and raced across the room to take one end. "What is this?" she asked feeling whatever was inside move.

"Open it and see" Vicki said with a knowing grin on her face.

They set the box down on the floor and Allie opened the top flaps to reveal three tiny German Shepherd puppies.

"Oh my god!" Allie exclaimed picking one up "Aw they're so adorable!" she said scratching the puppy behind the ears.

"They're Bella's litter" Vicki explained referring to Mr Taylor's favourite and the best specially trained security dog he owned.

"Wow so is dad keeping them or is he gonna sell them to the police force again?" Allie asked. Her dad had on numerous occasions sold puppies from his pack of well-trained security dogs to the police K9 squad who were desperate for dogs from reputable sires.

"He's keeping them, she only had these three" Vicki informed picking up the other two puppies.

"Small litter. I guess Bella's getting old" Allie commented setting the puppy down on the hardwood floor to let it have a little run around.

"Your mother will have a fit if she sees this" Vicki giggled as Allie rolled her eyes.

She and her mother didn't exactly get along. Her mother couldn't get past the fact that Allie obviously had a closer relationship with her father than she did with her. It was entirely her own fault though, always leaving Allie with nannies to go off on shopping trips and plastic surgery appointments. Then she wondered why she'd never bonded with Allie.

"Speaking of mother, where is she? I haven't seen her since I've been home" Allie asked half expecting her mother to be off getting more lipo done. She loved looking like the youngest 50 year old woman in Minnesota.

"She's in California on a shopping excursion" Vicki said simply. She loathed Vivian Taylor but she couldn't really say much to Allie since the woman was her mother.

"Oh such joy" Allie said sarcastically laughing when one of the three pups jumped on his brother and sister.

"Your father doesn't think so, he's worried about his bank balance rapidly decreasing" Vicki joked knowing what Vivian Taylor's spending habits were like.

"I swear I'm gonna kill that woman if she brings home any more ugly clothes for me to wear" Allie said half laughing. Her mother always brought home clothes that anyone in LA would find stylish but she preferred not to wear miniskirts that just covered her backside. Hayley had laughed her ass off the first time she saw what Allie's mom had bought her in LA.

"Yes, I didn't understand what purpose a miniskirt served in Minnesota" Vicki laughed.

Their attention was turned back towards the puppies when one started whimpering.

"I think this little guy may be hungry" Vicki said scooping the whimpering puppy up into her arms.

"Can I come watch?" Allie asked. Now that she knew her mother wasn't around she felt free to do what she wanted and that included helping Vicki out with the dogs. Her mother hated her _fraternising with the help_ as she put it.

"Sure thing, your father wants you to name them anyway. Thinks you could use some cheering up" Vicki said repeating David's words.

"Cool, I'm gonna call this one Demon" she said pointing to the little male puppy who'd jumped his brother and sister earlier. She looked at the other two.

"The whingy one can be called Bash cos he reminds me a bit of Portman when he's hungry" Allie said laughing.

"Oh yes and who's this Portman?" Vicki said eyeing Allie suspiciously. The housekeepers hadn't been told why Allie was being brought home and they knew better than to ask.

"I guess you'd call him my boyfriend" Allie said turning red when she saw Vicki's face light up.

"ALLIE! You've been keeping this from me! You naughty girl" Vicki pretended to scold her. Vicki had been working at the Taylor's house for three years now, since she was 18, and a lot of the time she'd been there for Allie when she needed someone to talk to. Now they were almost inseparable when Allie was home.

"Sorry Vick, its just kinda hard being away from him and I've been trying not to think too much about it, too depressing" Allie said looking at the last puppy to be named.

"Sorry" Vicki said knowing she hadn't really upset Allie.

"Its okay. I have these little guys to cheer me up" she said picking up female puppy.

"So what are you gonna name this one?" Vicki asked.

"I have no idea, ummmmm" she thought. The boys were so easy to name. "How about Sascha? No wait there's a skank called Sascha at my school and this cutie's no skank are you" Allie scratched the puppy behind the ear. "Ummm she kinda looks like a Shadow to me, what do you reckon?" Allie asked looking at Vicki.

"Yeah I can see it, she's a bit darker than the other two" Vicki said picking little Demon up leaving Shadow to Allie. "Come on lets get these ones their food"

"Allie?" Vicki started

"Yeah"

"Why Bash? Whats that got to do with a hungry Portman?" Vicki asked.

"Well he's a Bash Brother and he'll just about bash anything that gets in his way when he's hungry" Allie replied laughing.

Vicki's jaw dropped open "Is DEAN PORTMAN your boyfriend?" she asked recognising the name from the Goodwill Games. She knew the Ducks now went to Eden Hall.

"Yep" Allie replied smugly. She knew Vicki had a secret crush on the Bash Brothers when they both watched the Junior Goodwill Games on TV.

"You lucky bitch!" Vicki replied laughing.

"I know!" Allie laughed back as the two girls made their way down to the kennels to feed the puppies.

* * *

Fulton and Hayley were spending Saturday morning lying on the grass outside the dorm room buildings just enjoying the peace and quiet.

I"ve got it!" Hayley exclaimed suddenly tugging on Fulton's sleeve.

"Got what?" Fulton replied a little grumpy. Portman's bad mood over the last two days had kind of rubbed off onto him.

"Tell all of the Ducks to bring their swimmers and meet me at my dorm in 20. I have an idea" she said running off.

"Where you going?" Fulton asked confused.

"Just tell them!" Hayley yelled back blowing him a kiss.

Fulton shook his head, he knew his girlfriend could be quite insane at times.

* * *

"Hayley do you think maybe you'd wanna tell us what the hell we're doing here?" Charlie demanded tapping his foot impatiently.

"Nope, it's a surprise!" she said as all heads turned towards Fulton, looking for an explanation.

"Don't ask me, she wouldn't tell me either" Fulton whimpered making the rest of the group sigh.

"Whatever but this had better be worth it" Charlie grumbled reluctantly following Hayley towards possibly the biggest house he'd ever seen.

"It will be" Hayley giggled knowing that everyone will be surprised when they find out why they're there.

"Dude how'd you let her talk me into this" Portman complained. He'd argued that he wanted to be left alone but Hayley was having none of it and had physically dragged him out of his dorm room. She was tough for a tiny cheerleader.

"Dunno but she's too scary not to agree with" Fulton replied staring in awe at the giant house.

"I'll be back in a sec" Hayley said walking towards the security booth next to the gates leaving the Ducks to gush over the luxurious grounds that lay before them.

"Hayley, I must admit I've been expecting you" the Security Guard stepped out of his booth.

"Miles you know I cant resist seeing you!" Hayley laughed. She'd been to the house so many times during holidays over the last four years that Miles had grown used to the outgoing teenager.

"Are they all with you?" Miles asked wondering whether he needed to grab his gun or not. They seemed like a harmless bunch of kids but you never knew these days, especially with a big group like that.

"Yeah, surprise for Allie. Is she home?" Hayley lowered her voice.

"I believe she is. Victoria said something about Allie helping out with Bella's new puppies I think." Miles replied.

"Awesome! I bet they're so cute. The puppies, not Allie and Vicki" Hayley giggled making Miles smile.

"Shall I announce you or do you just wanna go on up?" Miles asked cutting the conversation short when the Ducks had grown impatient and were now forming a circle around Hayley.

"Go on up? Hayley are you making us walk all the way up there" Goldberg complained feeling a stitch coming on just looking at the hill.

Hayley laughed "Its not that bad Goldberg" she laughed but the rest of the Ducks weren't buying it, especially when they saw the pack of Guard Dogs running towards the fence at full speed barking madly.

"Not that bad, Hayley now there's monster dogs. Do you see them" Goldberg grabbed her head and made her look at the dogs. Even Averman was looking a little uneasy.

"Nevermind, Hayley I'll send for the shuttle bus" Miles spoke up walking back towards his booth shaking his head, the large boy had quite the reaction to the dogs.

"Thanks Milesie!" Hayley called ignoring the stares from the rest of the group.

"Wow, Cujo has nothing on these babies" Averman pondered wondering how close he could get before he actually wet his pants in fear.

"Hayley where the hell are we?" Connie hissed hoping that Hayley would take pity on the females in the group and actually tell her what they were doing on the other side of town at the biggest house in Minnesota.

"Banks, I'd hate to break it to you but this house is way cooler than yours" Russ spoke up slapping Adam on the back.

"Yeah I know, its huge!" Adam replied. Compared to his exclusive Edina house, this was like a castle.

"Hayley is this your house?" Dwayne asked. For once he was just as confused as the rest of the Ducks.

Hayley shook her head "Nope, now no more questions, you'll find out in a minute" she said as a grey minivan pulled up to the gates with a man in a driver's uniform stepped out.

"All of them are going up?" he asked Miles who nodded his head.

"A surprise for Miss Allie" he whispered discreetly into his ear.

"Oh right, Good afternoon Miss Hayley" the driver acknowledged Hayley who had become well known to the staff over the years.

"Hi Tony, I like your hat" Hayley replied waiting for the Ducks to pile into the van.

"Guys I think I might just head back" Portman announced attempting to turn around.

"No, no, no, no" Hayley said pushing him into the van.

"Hayley!" Portman complained as he fell inside and landed on poor Julie.

"Ow Portman you big lump!" she complained rubbing her leg.

"Sorry" Portman said hoping he could make an escape before it was too late. Unfortunately for him it was as the van had already started making it way up the long winding driveway to the enormous house they'd been staring at for the past 20 minutes.

"Damn" he muttered under his breath. What if Allie had called the dorms and he was out at some strange house? He'd never forgive Hayley and the Ducks if that happened.

The van stopped and the Ducks piled out of the van.

"Wow, this is even better up close" Connie exclaimed looking at the lush green lawns and the immaculate gardens surrounding it. "Wow there's even a fountain!" she said grabbing onto Adam's arm.

"Hayley please tell me Eden Hall's kicked us out and we're living here for the rest of our lives" Goldberg exclaimed imagining how huge the kitchen in a place like this would be.

"You wish Goldberg!" Julie laughed knowing exactly what Goldberg was thinking.

"Hey it could happen!" Goldberg protested.

Portman looked around sadly. He knew he shouldn't be feeling so down and that he was being a pain in the butt by dragging the others down but he just really wanted to go back to the dorms, namely her dorm, just to be in the place he last held her.

"Dude you okay?" Charlie patted him on the arm. He was a little nervous being near Portman, especially when he was in such a bad mood but as Captain he needed to ensure his team were all okay.

"I guess, just miss her badly" Portman admitted.

"I know how you feel dude, I miss Linda" Charlie admitted never in a million years expecting to be on a heart to heart basis with the larger Bash Brother.

"Hayley who are all of these people?" Victoria came around the corner holding little Shadow in her arms. Allie was still out the back with the other two puppies.

"Vicki, these are the Ducks. Can I show them to the pool, then I'll go see" Hayley paused before beckoning Victoria over to whisper in her ear "Allie".

"Aw no fair" the Ducks protested. They were dying to know whose house they were at.

"You know who is out at the kennels. I'll show the um Ducks is it?" she waited for a response, several Ducks nodded, before continuing "Right the Ducks the way"

Immediately Victoria was flanked by Connie and Julie "Who's this little guy?" Julie asked.

"She's a girl, this is Shadow. You wanna hold her?" Vicki handed the puppy over to Julie before she could respond.

"Hi Shadow" Julie whispered as Connie came around the other side.

"She's so cute" Connie laughed as Shadow yawned in Julie's face.

"Ew puppy breath!" Julie shrieked laughing.

"Sorry about that, she's just eaten lunch. I can't say the food smells much better but the vet reckons that's what she should be eating" Victoria commented immediately knowing why Allie was friends with these two girls.

"Okay, make yourselves at home. I'll just see where Hayley's got to" Victoria announced opening a set of French doors to reveal an Olympic sized swimming pool complete with a water slide and a diving board.

"Awesome a hot tub! Now we're talking" Luis exclaimed suddenly wishing that Traci were there with him.

"I'd better get this one back to her mother" Vicki said taking the puppy from Julie. "Remind me to show you the rest of the kennels later, there's two more little ones like this out there" Vicki said when she saw the disappointed look on Connie's face.

"Okay, thanks!" the two girls chorused giving the puppy one last scratch behind the ears.

"I want one now!" Julie exclaimed shaking her head as the boys had already stripped off to their shorts and were taking turns jumping off the diving board.

* * *

"Hayley where are you taking me?" Allie asked. She could hear voices coming from the gym but since Hayley was covering her eyes she wasn't really sure where she was.

"it's a surprise" she replied simply not giving any more away.

"It'd better be good" Allie said in a fake stern voice.

"Oh it will" Hayley said smirking as she opened the doors.

The Ducks looked up to see their surprise. Hayley pressed her finger to her lips to warn them to be quiet until she was ready.

Portman gasped. Even in a pair of ripped Army style pants and a white tank top she still looked like the hottest girl on the planet to him. It took most of his strength not to jump up and take her in his arms that second.

"Ready. One, two three!" Hayley yelled as she took her hands off of Allie's eyes.

"What the?" Allie said as it registered "OH MY GOD!" she yelled hugging her best friend "You are the greatest" she exclaimed as one by one the Ducks approached her and hugged her.

"Nice pile of bricks Allie" Russ commented knocking fists with her before giving in and hugging her.

"Thanks Russ" Allie laughed.

She frowned when she realised that Portman was standing over the other side of the room.

"Aren't you gonna give me a hug?" she teased hoping he wasn't mad at her.

"Aren't you gonna give _me _one?" Portman challenged back.

She grinned evilly and took off running towards him, jumping into his arms at the last possible second. Unfortunately Portman lost his balance and sent both of them into the pool.

The Ducks burst into laughter at the sight of the Bash Brother struggling to resurface as Allie pushed him back underwater.

"Graceful entrance" Ken joked as Allie got out of the water thanking the Lord she'd remembered to wear a bra this morning. The last thing she needed was to be see-through in front of the entire hockey team.

"I've done better" Allie smirked squeezing the water out of her hair before opening the doors to a large cupboard in the corner of the room. She pulled out two huge fluffy blue towels and threw one to Portman.

"Here baby, you're a bit wet" she teased as he pretended to glare at her when he caught it.

"Allie can we turn the hot tub on?" Connie asked hopefully as she glanced sideways at Adam.

"Sure just give it about five minutes to heat up and circulate fresh water" Allie said pressing the switch on the side of the tub. I'm just gonna go find some swimmers" she said wrapping the towel around her and grabbing Portman by the hand leading him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Portman asked cheekily not really caring where they went. He'd been dying for the chance to have Allie alone again.

"I guess you'd want some dry clothes?" she said eying his wet jeans and t-shirt.

"Yeah" he admitted sheepishly.

She looked around to make sure no one was watching them before she pulled him into her bedroom, shutting the doors behind her.

"This is your room?" he asked looking around amazed. He'd never seen a room this big before.

Allie nodded burying her head into her closet trying to locate some clothes that Portman might actually fit into.

"Here" she said throwing him a Metallica t-shirt and the biggest pair of black sweat pants that she owned.

"Cool shirt" he commented eying the "Pus-head" design.

"I won it at a music store, its way too big for me though" she said enjoying the view as Portman removed his wet shirt revealing his tanned torso. He started on his pants and Allie turned away to look in the closet for her swimmers.

"There you are!" she exclaimed pulling out her black 'tankini' (ie: a two piece with a halterneck top and bottoms) from the depths of the closet.

"Wait here I'll be back in a sec" Allie said to Portman who nodded as Allie retreated into her ensuite to change.

Portman took the opportunity to take a peek at the room. There was a notice board filled with photos, mostly of Hayley and Allie when they were younger but there were a few with Scooter too. Portman pushed his jealous streak down when he saw a couple of photos of Allie and Scotoer that were obviously from a time where they were more than best friends. He smiled when he saw that there was a photo of him and Allie taken after a hockey game and one of him taken in his old Team USA Jersey at the Goodwill Games, _how'd she get a photo of that? _He wondered before realising that her dad would've pulled some strings.

"You ready?" Allie asked from the doorway to her bathroom. She had her swimmers on with her towel wrapped around her waist.

Portman nodded holding his hands out to her. she accepted them and he pulled her in close to him "You're beautiful" he whispered kissing the top of her head.

"So are you" she replied kissing his neck making his skin tingle.

"We'd better get back to the others" Portman suggested lazily. He didn't really want to but he had the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he didn't want her father walking in on them alone in her room.

"I guess" Allie replied equally lazy.

The pair made their way back down the stairs towards the gymnasium where apparently Connie and Adam had just been outed and Guy and Charlie weren't impressed with the news.

"Oh shit!" Allie exclaimed when she was the tears in Connie's eyes and the hardness in Adam's face as they defended themselves against their friends.

"What?" Portman whispered aware that he was the only person in the room who didn't know what was going on.

"Connie and Adam are together" Allie explained softly wondering why Charlie was so mad at Connie and Adam.

"I KNEW IT!" Portman yelled startling the others at his excitement. "Cake-Eater I knew it!" he said laughing.

"It's not funny Portman" Charlie scolded his eyes blazing with anger.

"What's your problem Conway?" Portman asked the question everyone else was dying to know.

"They knew it would screw up the team dynamics yet they went ahead and did it anyway" Charlie replied standing next to Guy who was seething.

"Like you did when you kissed Julie?" everyone was surprised to see the question had come from Fulton.

"That's different!" Charlie stammered.

"How's it different Charlie?" Connie challenged.

"Because it didn't mean anything!" he exploded clenching his fists.

Everyone grew silent and stared at Julie who looked just as shocked as everyone else. She knew it didn't mean anything but she never expected him to say it out loud in front of everyone.

"You're a jerk Charlie" Julie stated simply before walking out of the room. Charlie hung his head. He hadn't meant to hurt Julie but Connie and Adam had made him so angry. They knew the risks of being together and yet they didn't care that it might hurt the team but what upset him even more was that it appeared that Allie and Julie knew about the happy couple and yet they couldn't tell him even though he was meant to be one of their best friends.

"I'm just gonna see if she's okay" Allie said quietly to Portman as she made her way out of the room giving Adam and Connie a small smile of sympathy before leaving.

"Jules?" Allie called seeing the blonde haired girl sitting on a bench on the patio outside.

"Oh hey Allie, sorry to fight in your house" Julie apologised feeling guilty.

"Don't worry about it, this house has never seen so much action" Allie laughed knowing that it was true. No one was really ever home long enough to fight like that.

"Its too nice to fight" Julie commented.

"What us or the house?" Allie laughed trying to get a feel on Julie's mood. She couldn't tell if she was angry or happy.

"Both!" Julie exclaimed. "I'm okay, really its just that I had to get away from Charlie before I socked him one. Can you believe him. I mean I guess I understand Guy being a little upset but Charlie's just taking it too far" Julie explained.

Allie nodded "Yeah it was kinda weird the way he went off like that but trust Portman to ask the question though"

"That's why we love him. He's not afraid to ask the question we're all too afraid to ask" Julie replied frowning when a voice was heard screeching from inside.

"Who are all of you people? What are you doing in my house?" a woman demanded.

"Oh no" Allie exclaimed jumping up from the bench.

"What?" Julie asked confused.

"My mother" she replied racing inside.

"Mother these are my friends" Allie explained quickly grabbing her arm before she swatted poor Averman with her purse.

"These _children_ are upsetting my quiet time" Mrs Taylor informed spitting out the word "children" as if it were some kind of filthy disease.

"I didn't even know you were back" Allie said secretly wishing that she'd just stayed in LA for a few more months, even years.

"Well I am now so your little friends have to leave" Mrs Taylor cried ushering the Ducks to pack up and get out.

Allie knew there was no point in arguing with her as she always got her own way when she was in one of these 'moods'.

"Sorry guys" Allie said when the group was in the safety of the front porch. Her mother had watched their every move to ensure that they were leaving.

"It's okay babe, I'm just happy I got to see you" Portman said wrapping his arm around her.

"I'll walk you down to the gate" she said softly feeling embarrassed by the way her mother overreacted.

Charlie and Guy made a point of walking at a distance from the rest of the group and seemed a bit upset when no one objected or made an effort to join them.

"This is ridiculous, Connie and Adam are great together" Allie whispered to Portman.

"Not as good as you and me though" Portman replied quietly squeezing her shoulders gently.

"You big dag!" Allie laughed wrapping her arms around his waist. "But you're my big dag" she added smiling when he kissed her temple.

"And don't you forget it" Portman exclaimed.

"Erm Allie, I don't want to alarm you but MONSTER DOGS!" Averman cried spotting a huge black German Shepherd racing towards them.

Allie laughed for a moment before sticking her fingers in her mouth and whistling. The dog immediately stopped growling and ran over to Allie and sat at her feet.

"its alright Averman, he wont attack while I'm here" Allie laughed as Averman stood behind Portman shaking.

"Oh good" Averman said pushing Portman out of the way to cower behind Allie.

"Unless I tell him too" Allie laughed seeing Averman's face turn white.

"Kidding Averman, jeez! We're running out of spots to bury the bodies" Allie joked.

Averman wasn't laughing "Bodies?" he whispered.

The Ducks rolled their eyes "Joke Averman!" they chorused, including Dwayne who understood that it was a joke also.

The dog who Allie introduced as "Jake" escorted them to the gate where they were met by Miles.

"You lot better quit your bitching otherwise I will come to Eden Hall and kick all of your asses" Allie laughed directing the comment at Charlie who glared at her for a second before smiling slightly. He couldn't be mad at her, not when she had a valid point.

"And you'd better behave yourself" she turned to Portman who hung his head like a little boy.

"Yes m'am" Portman said quietly keeping his head down so that no one could see his smile.

"I'll see you later then" she said kissing him on the cheek.

Portman nodded "Yeah definitely" he replied cupping her face in his hands and kissing her softly on the lips. They ignored the cries of "gross" and "get a room" as they deepened the kiss. It wasn't until someone yelled "I hope you don't kiss Connie like that Banks" that they broke apart laughing hard along with the rest of the group at the comment.

"Shut up Goldberg!" Connie protested not doing a very good job at keeping a straight face.

Adam wasn't much better as he grabbed Connie and replied with "Wanna see?" through laughs.

"I'd better get back before mother has a coronary" Allie said reluctantly letting go of Portman's hand.

"Bye Allie" the group chorused scattering down the road until only Portman remained.

"Night baby" he said softly kissing her on the lips.

"Night" she replied feeling happier than she had in days as she started up the long driveway with Jake at her heels.

Something made her turn around and take another look at Portman. He turned around at the same time and she blew him a kiss.

Unknown to both of them at the time, that would be the last time they saw each other for quite some time.


	11. Leaving for good & Duck pranks

"You have got to be shitting me" Allie exclaimed angrily.

"Allie, language" her father scolded even though he did agree with her, what on earth was his wife thinking.

"Sorry" Allie said slumping in her chair. _How could she do this?_ She thought as she shot her mother the death glare. Of course it went unnoticed.

"I think it would be a wonderful opportunity" Mrs Taylor gushed in her usual selfish manner.

"Yeah wonderful for _you_" Allie replied.

"Alison!" Mr Taylor scolded again, this time using her full name. Allie was right though, he'd never seen his wife do anything that was 99 percent selfish.

"Just think, we can leave this mess behind and start somewhere new" she continued thinking about the shopping at Saks 5th Avenue and Macys.

"I don't want to leave this _mess_ behind" Allie protested looking helplessly at her father. _Why doesn't he do something?_ She wondered.

"We're moving at that's final!" Mrs Taylor looked mighty proud of herself that she'd gotten her own way again.

"FINE!" Allie yelled getting up from the table and slamming her fist on it before storming out.

"Where are you going young lady?" her mother asked sternly.

"To pack" she yelled back feeling a sense of déjà vu, only this time she knew that Dean wasn't going to come to her room and make her feel better.

_Damn it!_ She thought angrily _this is the second fucking time I've had to pack and leave in the space of a week_.

A whimper was heard at her feet and she looked down to find Bash running on his little fat legs trying to keep up with her.

"Come here you" she said her expression softening as she picked the puppy up. Bash yawned and gave her a small lopsided smile.

"You really do look like Portman don't you" she said smiling as he nestled against her chest wanting to go to sleep.

She opened the doors to her room and set Bash down on the bed where he curled up in the pillows and fell asleep within seconds.

"Lucky him" she whispered feeling envious that he didn't have a care in the world other than when his next feed was.

She stared at her half unpacked suitcase from Eden Hall and sighed knowing that she'd have to pack a lot more for the move to New York. It was obvious her mother had her eye on some expensive Park Avenue penthouse and that she'd be expected to attend the most prestigious private school there.

She eventually gave up on choosing clothes to take so she just started throwing any old random thing into the suitcase. Who cared what the New York people thought of her, she only cared about what Portman thought of her.

After what seemed like minutes but was in fact hours Allie was being loaded into the car on the way to the airport. Her mother had dropped another bombshell on her, they were leaving tonight. She wasn't even going to get a chance to say goodbye to Dean. It was official, she well and truly hated her mother now.

* * *

Portman had been on cloud nine ever since they'd been at Allie's house four days ago for it was now Wednesday. The Ducks were loving this new happy Portman rather than the moping Portman he'd been last week. Portman was even doing all of his homework and attending all of his classes. He found it a great distraction whenever he was starting to feel sad that Allie was no longer at school with him.

"Portman I need to talk to you" Hayley came racing down the hallway ignoring anyone she bumped along the way.

"Can't, I have practice" Portman protested shoving his English book back inside his locker and admiring the photo of Allie he kept taped to the back.

"No, I need to talk to you NOW" Hayley slammed his locker shut and glared at him. Her eyes were wild and it was obvious she was mad about something.

"Whatever Fulton did I'm sure he didn't mean it" Portman replied trying not to roll his eyes. He couldn't really think of another reason Hayley would want to talk to him.

"It's not about Fulton, its about Allie" Hayley almost yelled. She wanted to slap him upside the head so badly at that point. He obviously wanted to fob her off and usually she didn't care but this was important.

"Is she okay?" Portman asked suddenly feeling worried.

"In here" Hayley kept her voice low and dragged him into an empty classroom ignoring the curious stares and smirks from the female population. _The gossip should be good, Hayley's cheating on Fulton with his best friend who happens to be her best friend's boyfriend. Eden hall would have a field day on this one_ she thought before shutting the door.

"So what is it?" Portman asked impatiently.

"She's gone Portman" Hayley said as gently as she could. Truth was she was still shocked herself.

"Very funny Hayley I only saw her on Saturday" Portman joked hoping she was lying.

"No, Portman she's gone. Her mother made her move to New York. She's not coming back" Hayley said feeling the tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"What! No fucking way" Portman grunted through clenched teeth. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, _I can't have lost her_ he thought miserably.

"She left Saturday night." Hayley said softly not really acknowledging Portman's presence anymore, all she could think about was that her best friend was gone and if she knew what Allie's mother was like then they wouldn't be hearing from her again.

"No, this is bullshit" Portman pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind him. "Its bullshit" he muttered to himself as he ignored the calls of his friends and the stares of his fellow classmates. He knew where he was going and it was going to take him a few hours to get there.

When he arrived at Allie's house he was surprised to find Scooter slumped against the front gates. He didn't seem to care that the guard dogs were barking furiously at him.

"JAKE!" Portman yelled remembering the name of the huge male Shepherd and hoping it will make him shut up.

Scooter looked up and sighed "She's not up there man, she's really gone" he said confirming Portman's worst nightmare.

Portman didn't say anything but just slid down the fence next to Scooter. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and fed to the guard dogs.

It was getting dark by the time either of them thought about getting back to Eden Hall. A set of headlights approaching the gate caught their attention and they could both feel their hopes lifted. _What if she's in that car? _They both thought excitedly.

"Scott?" the car had pulled up to the security gate and the rear window had opened.

"Mr Taylor" Scooter stood up quickly brushing the dirt off of his pants. Portman stood up too.

"I'm sorry boys, Allie's gone to New York to attend school. I'll be driving up myself tomorrow I'll be sure to say hello to her for you" he said gently. He knew how hard it was on Allie and of course his wife never thinks about anything but herself and his money. Sometimes he felt like he should just divorce her and get it over with but he didn't want to add any more stress to Allie so he put up with it.

"Thank you sir" Portman replied grateful that at least someone cared how he felt about her.

"Dean Portman right? I've met you before" Mr Taylor looked over at Portman.

"Yes sir" Portman felt weird being all formal but this guy was Allie's dad and he respected him.

"If its any consolation I know how much my daughter adores you" he said before he was interrupted by his cell phone.

"Thank you" Portman said smiling.

"I need to take this call" Mr Taylor informed, adding when he saw the two boys faces light up "It's a client, if it was Allie of course I'd let you speak to her. take care now Scooter, Dean nice to see you again"

The SUV started its ride up the driveway when it suddenly stopped and reversed back to the boys.

"Get in, you have 45 mins before curfew and there's no way you'll make it on foot or by bus. We don't want your coaches going ballistic now do we" Mr Taylor said with a chuckle knowing how strict the Eden Hall hockey coaches were with their players.

"Thanks Mr Taylor" Scooter and Portman chorused climbing into the SUV. At least that was one less thing they had to worry about but an even heavier problem still lay before them, Allie was really gone.

* * *

"Portman I've been looking for you for ages!" Julie complained racing up to the tall dark haired boy as he entered the dorm building. She was too busy waving a piece of paper in his face to notice his grim expression.

"Well I'm here now, what? Portman replied a little harsher than he intended. He was about to apologise when Julie spoke. She was too concerned with this piece of paper to notice his rudeness.

"They've dropped the investigation, we're no longer required to attend" she said not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She'd tried to tell Scooter about it too but she hadn't been able to find him.

"Good" Portman said shortly slumping back against the wall. It was when he hung his head that Julie noticed something was up.

"Dean what is it?" Julie asked gently.

"She's gone Jules, she's gone and I didn't even know until today" he said looking at her with a pained expression.

"What? Who's gone?" Julie asked thinking that someone close to him had died.

"Allie, she's gone to New York" Portman replied feeling all of his energy drained. He wished this conversation would end so that he could curl up on his bed and sleep. He was hoping that maybe this was all part of a bad dream and that when he woke up she'd be there next to him.

"What? When did this happen?" Julie exclaimed suddenly realising why Portman had skipped practice that afternoon. She'd been too caught up with the investigation notice to even think about asking him. She suddenly felt incredibly selfish and guilty.

"Saturday night after we left her house according to Hayley" Portman replied glumly.

"Oh no, Dean I'm so sorry" Julie said sympathetically.

Portman stood up straight and turned around to bang his fist on the wall. He leant his forearm against the wall at head height and then rested his head on his arm.

Julie felt awful. She didn't know what to do but she thought he could use a friend with some comfort so she stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. When he didn't shrug her off she slowly spun him around and reached up to give him a hug.

Portman reacted by unexpectedly burying his face into her shoulder surprising them both but Julie didn't move away. Instead she let him wrap his arms around her waist hugging her as if he was afraid she'd leave too if he let go.

Julie was startled by the sound of the doors to the dorm building opening. She peered over Portman's shoulder to see Scooter standing there looking every inch as miserable as Portman did. He looked up to see Portman and Julie embracing but his face didn't register hurt or even anger.

_Oh no I've done it again_ Julie was worried, there was nothing going on between her and Portman but she didn't want Scooter to think there was, especially after what happened with Charlie.

She forced a smile out at him and was surprised to see him smile sadly at her.

"Do you have one of those for me?" he asked looking like he'd just been shot in the leg.

Julie nodded and held an arm out for him to join the group. Scooter collapsed into Julie's arms feeling as if one burden had been lifted. To anyone walking by it would have looked weird seeing Julie sandwiched between Portman and Scooter with their heads on each of her shoulders respectively, all three looking like their dog had just died.

Julie eventually got Portman back to his room where her and Scooter stayed with him until they were sure he was asleep. When his snoring gave him away, Scooter offered to walk Julie back to her dorm.

"Scooter I really am sorry about what happened" Julie spoke after a few minutes of silence. She felt guilty for bringing the topic of Charlie up again but she felt like she needed to apologise to him at least one more time.

Scooter stopped walking and turned to face her, grabbing both of his hands and holding them to his chest.

"Jules, I forgive you. If all this stuff with Allie's taught me anything its not to let my stupid anger stop me from having what I want before its too late, and what I want is you" he said honestly.

Julie was speechless, she knew things were getting better but she never expected this.

"I've just lost my best friend and I don't want to lose you too" he continued ignoring the curious looks they were receiving from the other girls who were on their way inside the female dorm building.

"You never lost me Scooter, I was just having a momentary lapse of judgement, I promise you it will never happen again" Julie said feeling tears starting to well up. She mentally scolded herself for getting all mushy and sentimental, something she never does but it seemed like with Scooter, she lost all inhibitions and allowed herself to feel.

"I believe you Jules" he replied letting go of one hand to reach out and push a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He brought his hand back across to caress the side of her face, slowly bringing it down to her neck where he reach behind and gently pulled her closer to him, wrapping his other hand around her back.

Julie smiled as she slipped her hands around his waist and burying her head into his chest. She'd been longing for this for a while now and was ecstatic that they were getting back together.

A figure stepped out from behind the shadows almost crying at what she'd just heard. She had believed Julie when she'd told Scooter that Charlie was just a _momentary lapse of judgement_. She also believed her when she said that it would never happen again.

_Maybe I am being too hard on him_ she thought thinking about how much she missed his smile and the way his eyes light up every time he sees her. She also missed the giddy feeling she felt every time he kissed her.

She'd decided to take a leaf out of Scooters book and go get what she wants before its too late. Running towards the boys dorm building she didn't care that curfew was approaching, all she cared about was getting the boy of her dreams back.

She arrived at Charlie's dorm room to hear yelling.

"You could have told me Banks, I'm supposed to be your best friend!" Charlie yelled.

"If you were my best friend you wouldn't be reacting like this Charlie. I'm in love with her, I always have been and I always will be" Adam yelled back.

Linda paused wondering whether she should interrupt the argument. She seriously thought about listening to more just to see who Adam was in love with.

She didn't have to think long because Adam had just declared he was fed up with Charlie's mood since Linda dumped him and that he was going to find some real friends.

Linda jumped back when the door swung open and Adam stormed out giving her a grumpy "Hi, he's in there" before stomping off down the hall. Linda watched as he knocked on Luis' door.

"What do you want? I hope you haven't you come here to yell at me some more cos if you are you'll have to take a number" Charlie grumbled not sure if he could take another verbal beating from Linda.

"I wanted to talk" Linda said softly not moving from her spot outside the door. "Can I come in? I promise I wont yell, unless you make me" she tried joking but it didn't work. Charlie was too deep in his bad mood.

"If you want" he said flopping down on his bed. He didn't mean to treat her like a leper it was just that the fight with Adam had left him on edge and if she wanted to pick a fight with him now it would just push him over and he wasn't sure if he'd able to get back up.

Linda entered the room cautiously wondering if she should sit down. After a few seconds of debating it in her mind she finally crossed to the only chair that didn't contain any junk and sat in it.

"I heard you fighting with Adam, are you okay?" she asked trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"No! did you know him and Connie have been sneaking around behind everyone's backs and now its causing conflict between everyone" Charlie asked exaggerating the conflict part. The only conflict it caused was between him and Guy against Adam and Connie.

Linda shook her head "No I didn't know, wow I don't think I would have expected that one" she said glad he was actually speaking to her.

"Neither did we, don't they realise that its just gonna screw up the team dynamics. It was bad enough when Connie and Guy fought but we tolerated it because they were together before the Ducks were formed" Charlie replied using the same argument he'd been using all along.

"Connie and Adam might be different, you never know. Adam will probably put up with a lot more from Connie that Guy ever did. It might be okay, you'll just have to wait and find out" Linda tried reasoning. She could see Charlie was acting a little selfishly. Connie and Adam had every right to start dating if they wanted to.

"Whatever, maybe you're right" Charlie replied not wanting to get into another screaming match. Linda had said she'd come to talk and he was hoping that meant they might get back together.

"So what did you want to talk about?" he continued.

"Us" she replied softly looking down at the floor.

Charlie tried not to get his hopes up too high "Are you saying there is an 'us'?"

"I'm saying there could be" Linda replied taking the risk to glance at him.

Charlie sat up straighter and leant forward "Tell me what I have to do" he said seriously. He felt like he would do anything for a second chance.

"Promise me two things, this time I swear I'll believe you" Linda said looking up at Charlie.

"Anything" Charlie said wondering what she was going to make him promise her.

"One, promise me that it meant absolutely nothing to you and two, you have to swear it will never, ever happen again, with anyone" Linda named her price.

Charlie didn't hesitate he leapt up off the bed and knelt down in front of Linda taking her hands in his.

"I promise you on my life and the Ducks that it meant nothing more to me than a stupid mistake and that I don't have any feelings for Julie or anyone else but you. I'll even swear it on Hans' grave" Charlie said truthfully.

Linda knew he wasn't lying when he said he'd swear on Hans' grave. Hans meant the world to Charlie and he was like a grandfather to him. She gave him a small smile.

"And I promise that it will never, ever, ever, EVER happen again. You can even put a rope around my neck and keep me next to you 24/7 just to be sure but I swear I wont do it again" Charlie said half hoping she wouldn't take him up on the offer to stick a leash on him.

Linda let out a laugh "I was thinking more of a cowbell" she said.

Charlie laughed "I deserved that one" he said.

"I believe you Charlie" Linda whispered.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked hopefully squeezing her hands gently.

"Forgiven but not forgotten, I think we should just take things slow for now though Charlie" she replied.

Charlie nodded, he knew things couldn't just go back to the way they were before the kiss with Julie happened. They'd have to take the time to make it work again.

"I'd better go" Linda said standing up. She glanced at the clock on the desk and frowned "Do you know the best way to sneak back into the dorm building?" she turned around to ask Charlie.

Charlie shook his head "Not unless you left a window open in your room. Why don't you just stay here. I'll sleep on the floor" he offered to show he was serious about her request to take it slow.

"I don't know Charlie" Linda replied knowing there'd be hell to pay if she got caught and who knew if or when Adam was going to come back.

"I promise I'll behave myself" Charlie pleaded not wanting her to get into any trouble by being caught out past curfew. People like Linda didn't do so well in detention.

Linda thought for a moment before letting out a smile "Okay but you have to behave yourself" she warned sitting back down.

"I will" Charlie said opening his closet and pulling out his old Team USA jersey for her to sleep in and to prove he could behave himself he went and stood in the corner facing the walls with his hands over his eyes so that she could get changed in private.

Linda smiled to herself and knew she'd done the right thing by taking him back. She quickly got changed then crept over to the corner to tap him on the shoulder to let him know he could turn around now.

He smiled at her then pulled the covers back on his bed to let her get in. Using the technique his mom used when he was a kid he tucked her in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Night Linda" he said before climbing back down on the floor to rearrange the beanbags into a position that he could actually sleep on.

"Night Charlie" Linda replied sleepily. When she saw that Charlie was settled she turned his lamp off and they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The Ducks were all congregated at their usual table for breakfast the next morning minus Portman and Charlie who were still in their respective dorms.

Of course the hot topic of conversation was Allie's sudden departure from Minnesota. Averman was giving his own theories as to the reason why she'd moved to New York.

"The terrorists are after her and she had to relocate under witness protection. That's why she had all of those scary dogs. Aw man we saw everything, they're gonna come after us now" Averman whimpered looking around the cafeteria eyeballing everyone suspiciously.

"Shut up!" Russ bellowed getting sick of Averman's far-out theories, next he was gonna say that aliens kidnapped Allie and her entire family.

"I can't believe that jerks back here" Julie complained spotting Josh Stiles walking in with the rest of the Varsity team.

"Which one is he?" Ken asked. He had no idea who Josh was.

"That one" Hayley pointed out from her spot next to Fulton.

"Oh right, he's lucky Portman's not here yet" Ken replied knowing that Portman would kill the guy if he saw him right now.

"Hey he's lucky I don't go break his balls" Hayley threatened glaring at the Varsity team.

"Come on Hayley, I'll help you" Connie said attempting to stand up but her efforts were stopped by Adam who grabbed her around the waist and sat her back down again.

"No you won't. if he can hit Allie then he'll have no problem hitting you too, I'm not letting you get hurt Cons" Adam said as the rest of the Ducks' ears pricked up.

"He _hit _Allie?" Fulton exclaimed feeling angrier by the second.

Adam looked around cautiously to check that Portman hadn't arrived before he spoke. "Shhhh, yeah he did. I asked her how she really got that mark on her cheek and she told me what really happened in the gym that day but she begged me not to tell Portman cos she didn't want him to do anything stupid to mess up his scholarship" Adam explained.

Hayley could sense that Fulton was about to lose it "Oh come on, she hit him harder than he hit her, did you see the shiner he had afterwards" she said trying to bring some positive back into the conversation.

"Yeah she did good, hard to believe that for someone so skinny she can bust a guy's face up" Russ added making Fulton and Hayley laugh.

"Dude, you obviously haven't seen the muscles on her, she's got biceps that are almost bigger than Portmans" Hayley laughed knowing that her friend might be on the skinny side but she worked out hard to obtain the strength that she had.

"Pft exaggeration" Fulton scoffed sarcastically as Hayley turned towards him and thumped him on the shoulder.

"Ow" Fulton exclaimed a little louder than intended.

"Looks like your woman's tougher than you too dude, so much for the Bash Brothers" Russ exclaimed before adding "Geez I crack myself up"

"Hey y'all I'm confused, if there's no investigation now and that unkind boy is back then how come we're not doing any pranks on Varsity? I mean we cant get Allie into trouble if she's not here" Dwayne interrupted coming up with the smartest idea of the morning.

"Oh my gosh I completely forgot about that" Julie exclaimed her blue eyes shining with excitement.

"Forgot about what?" Fulton was now the one who was confused. He hadn't been in the room when the Ducks were discussing payback on Varsity.

"Put it this way Fulton, dry ice, detergent and water make a lot of bubbles" Connie whispered trying not to laugh.

"Serious? Whatchyas gonna do with that besides make loads of bubbles?" Fulton asked. He'd never heard of using dry ice with detergent and water.

"Not just a lot of bubbles, try a _room _filled with bubbles, as in Varsity's dorm rooms in the middle of the night" Adam explained patiently when he saw Connie roll her eyes.

"Oh sweet dude!" Fulton exclaimed satisfied with Adam's answer.

"Guys I have another idea that we should do as well" Hayley interrupted. Julie leant towards the cheerleader when she saw the evil expression cross Hayley's face.

"What?" Julie asked excitedly hopping up from her chair to sit on the table next to Hayley.

"I'm gonna have to go to Helena's salon for this one" Hayley warned.

Julie's smile broadened, she'd just realised what that meant.

"Let me guess, peroxide and/or hair dye?" she asked.

Hayley nodded and shrugged at the same time "Yeah but not just any old hair dye, _Duck coloured _hair dye. I say we mix the peroxide and the dye in their shampoo bottles, give some yellow dye, some green dye and some purple dye" she finished off her plan.

"YES!" Averman screamed jumping out of his chair.

"Hayley you are a genius" Russ complimented and the rest of the Ducks agreed.

"One question though Hayley?" Goldberg interrupted "Why peroxide _and _dye, I mean why not just use dye?" he asked

"Look at Rick Riley's hair" Hayley started waiting for Goldberg to look.

"So?" Goldberg wasn't getting the hint.

"So, its dark brown so the dye probably wont show up as brightly. So if we bleach his hair first then the dye will hold better and make him look even worse" she explained patiently.

"Oh I get it, I think" Goldberg mused for a second "Yeah I get it" he finally announced.

"Remind me not to ever piss you off Hayley" Connie laughed as she pulled a notebook out of her bag.

"Erm Connie maybe we should continue this later" Guy advised surprising the entire table by talking to Connie civilly.

Connie threw him a blank look and he returned it by gesturing towards the Varsity team who were now making their way over to the Ducks table.

"Oh thanks" Connie whispered putting her notebook away glaring at the Varsity team as they approached the table.

"Well if it isn't the little Duckies" Rick Riley started by using his usual greeting line.

"Where's the big bad Bash Brother? Still crying about that bitch leaving?" Cole added smirking at the table of angry Ducks.

Hayley stood up with her fists clenched ready for a rumble.

"Oh look here Rick, a little Cheerleader. You want some of this honey?" Cole taunted laughing in Hayley's face.

Hayley was about to bring her fist up to Cole's jaw when she was stopped by Fulton.

"Oh look it's the other _Bash Brother_. Can't get your own girls so you try to steal ours" Rick teased too stupid to realise he'd just set the trap for an insult directed at him.

"Oh man you're just pissed cos you can't even get your own girls. All you can get is Cole" Russ blurted out trying to pretend he was every inch the tough South Central kid.

Riley glared at Russ and was about to make his move when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"You have exactly three seconds to get out of my sight otherwise I'm going to be putting the entire Varsity team out of action for the rest of the season" Portman said in a surprisingly calm voice.

Hayley glared back at the Varsity team to see Josh Stiles trying to discreetly slink back into the crowd to avoid being seen by Portman.

"And you" Portman turned to Josh who looked like he was about to wet his pants in fear "If I see you near me again I will kill you, you got off easy last time" Portman warned as the Varsity team moved away from the Ducks table.

Portman stayed standing while he continued to glare at the Varsity team until they had all left the cafeteria. Scooter was the last one out and he looked back at the Ducks table. To let Scooter know he wasn't pissed at him he gave him a small smile and a wave. Scooter relaxed and followed his team out of the door.

"Ugh I felt so bad for Scooter then" Julie complained knowing that he wouldn't resent her for what had just happened.

"Don't worry about him, he's cool" Portman informed finally sitting down.

"How are you man?" Fulton asked cautiously afraid he was about to get his head bitten off.

"Don't ask, I just wanna think about something else for a while" Portman warned poking at his tray.

"Hey Portman wanna get even on Varsity?" Hayley asked gesturing Connie to get her notebook out again.

"You guys are gonna get even without me?" Charlie had arrived at the table holding hands with Linda.

"And me?" Linda pretended to pout.

"Of course not, Linda come sit here you can help me plan it on paper" Connie gestured indicating to the seat next to her.

Linda smiled at Charlie who nodded approvingly. As Linda took the seat next to Connie, Connie looked up and Charlie shot her a small sheepish smile that let her know he was sorry for acting like such a jerk. Connie smiled back at him and Charlie took the empty seat between Hayley and Portman.

"So we used the soap bubbles prank but Hayley came up with a brilliant idea" Connie started as she filled in the late arrivals to the table on the new secret weapon to get back at Varsity.


	12. Paybacks a bitch

Allie sat on her new bed trying to think of something decent to write. She was still as mad as hell about being forced to leave without saying goodbye to Portman and was now in the process of trying to explain it all to him in a letter but was getting nowhere. So far all she had was _Dear Portman_.

"Man this blows" she exclaimed aloud in frustration causing Bash to lift his head up off of his paws and tilt his head to look at her.

Allie laughed as he let out a massive yawn before settling back down again to resume his nap. She almost envied the puppy for having nothing else to do other than sleep and eat, two things she hadn't been doing much of lately.

"I don't see why we can't just sell the Minnesota house and you move here" Allie could hear her mother's voice travelling through the penthouse they were now living in.

"It's not as simple as that, I have a job to attend to in Minnesota" her father replied. Allie could sense his blood was boiling.

"You can get a job here" her mother protested trying to use the whining voice she put on whenever she was trying to get her own way.

"I need to stay in Minnesota if you insist on keeping your spending habits, no other firm will pay as much" her father said dryly and Allie fought all urge to open her door and yell 'Go Dad!' down the hall.

"Fine!" her mother pretended to sound fed up but Allie knew as well as her father did that the only way to get around her mother's selfish suggestions was to threaten the income she required to keep up her shopping sprees.

Allie heard the sound of a door slamming followed by her father sighing loudly. She then heard footsteps approaching her bedroom. She pushed the pen and paper aside and waited for the knock.

"Allie can I come in?" her father asked softly through the door.

"Yeah sure" she replied scooping Bash up onto her lap.

"I guess you heard all of that" David Taylor asked his daughter.

Allie nodded "Yeah but I'm glad you told her off, she doesn't think about anyone else but herself" she started.

"Allie, she's your mother" Mr Taylor warned.

"She sure doesn't act like it" Allie retorted feeling a little guilty for giving her father a hard time.

"Allie!" Mr Taylor warned again.

"Sorry" Allie said softly.

"I have to head back to Minnesota tomorrow and I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'm sorry I can't stay" Mr Taylor said guiltily.

"Its okay I understand, I just wish that I could come too" Allie said sadly. She would have given anything to be able to go back to Minnesota even if it was just to say a proper goodbye to Dean.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for you to return to Minnesota right now, it'd just make you miss it even more. Give New York a chance, you might find you'll really like it" Mr Taylor tried his hand at being comforting.

"Maybe" Allie said purely because she felt a little sorry for her father.

"Okay well you get some rest, I'll come and see you before I leave in the morning. Goodnight sweetheart" Mr Taylor said gently giving Allie a kiss on the forehead.

Allie laughed when Bash had become curious and had chosen that moment to bite Mr Taylor on the ear.

"OW!" Mr Taylor cried frowning momentarily before Allie's laughter had an effect on him and he too started laughing.

Eventually the laughter stopped and Mr Taylor returned to his home office to get ready to leave for Minnesota and Allie had finally composed a letter to Portman. She slipped out of the penthouse to post it in the mail box she'd seen on the corner of her street.

………………………………………………………………………….

"Ow Goldberg you're sitting on me" Julie hissed as a few of the Ducks crouched in the bushes outside the Varsity dorms.

"Sorry Catlady, there's no room to sit anywhere else" Goldberg replied apologetically.

"Are they ever gonna go to sleep?" Fulton complained from the other side of Julie.

"SHHH!" Charlie scolded.

"Did Hayley get the stuff?" Adam whispered.

"Yeah, her and Courtney put it in their stuff during practice. That way it wouldn't look suspicious if they were caught in the locker rooms since they're Varsity's cheerleaders" Charlie replied.

"Okay, Coles just finished saying goodnight to that Mindy chick and he's heading inside. I tell you, it was not a pretty sight" Connie's voice was heard over their walkie talkie.

"Okay, Riley's room is the only one with a light left on so obviously once Cole's inside then they'll go to sleep soon, I say give it 15 minutes to ensure they're asleep" Julie said shifting from her spot under Goldberg. She had nowhere to go so she sat on Fulton's lap.

"Hey!" Fulton protested.

"Oh come on Fult, I don't weigh that much" Julie countered.

"Alright, I spose its better than having Goldberg sitting on you" he said allowing her to stay there.

"Sucker" Portman scoffed from beside Charlie before turning back to watch the building.

"BINGO! The lights just went out, Adam set your watch alarm to go off in 15 minutes" Charlie instructed peering into his binoculars to ensure no one was around.

"Shh what was that?" Julie hissed instructing them all to be quiet.

They listened for a few seconds "It sounds like its coming from……" Julie paused before slapping Goldberg on the arm "Goldberg!" she scolded.

"Hey I was hungry" Goldberg objected.

The rest of the group looked over to see the candy bar wrapper in Goldberg's hands and shook their heads.

"Guys, the teacher on night duty has just checked the rooms and is heading down to the teachers lounge" Connie informed through the radio.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP, Adam's watch alarm went off softly.

"Alright lets go" Charlie declared taking one last look around.

The group made their way to the dorm rooms being careful not to make too much noise. Charlie pointed to the windows above the doors and indicated that was how they were going to get the foam into the rooms.

Julie and Fulton were to do the first three rooms, Goldberg and Adam the next three and Charlie and Portman were to do the final two rooms.

"Okay, Julie I can see you, the hose needs to come in a little further. A little more, stop!" Ken's voice came through on the radio that was connected to headphones Julie was wearing. They were onto their second room, the plan was to put the hoses with small open containers attached to the end of them into position in the centre of the room first before pouring the mixture down them in order to avoid shouts from the first rooms alerting the others.

"Fulton pass me the funnel and the bucket" Julie whispered from her position on Fulton's shoulders when she'd secured the hose in place.

Fulton kept one hand wrapped around Julie's legs to keep her steady as he used his free hand to pass the funnel first which Julie attached to the end of the hose and then the bucket which she rested on her thigh until she was ready to pour the soap and water mixture through the hose.

"Alright Julie now" Ken advised through the headphones as Julie poured a third of the bucket through the first hose. She then gestured Fulton to move to the second room where she poured the second third through the second hose and finally completing the third room.

"Varsity's still oblivious, use the dry ice when you're ready" Luis' voice was heard through Adam's headphones.

He slapped Goldberg's shoulder indicating to let him down.

"Everyone got their gloves?" Adam asked pulling out a pair of safety gloves from his pocket. Averman had craftily swiped them from Chemistry class earlier that day.

Julie, Fulton, Charlie and Goldberg all nodded pulling their own out and putting them on.

"Good" Adam said opening the lid to the cooler after putting his gloves on. He pulled out a handful of broken up chunks of dry ice.

"Jules, this is your stash" Adam said handing her the dry ice.

"Charlie" he continued giving Charlie his share.

"And mine" he said to himself grabbing the last portion of the dry ice.

"Okay, on the count of three drop some into the first room and then do the other two rooms as quick as you can. I reckon pull the hoses out of the windows as you're going along otherwise it'll take too long when we're trying to get out" Charlie whispered.

The others nodded their agreement. Julie was having trouble concealing the massive grin on her face.

"What's with you?" Fulton asked softly.

"This is gonna be so funny" she replied trying not to laugh.

"Save it for later when we're not in their hallway" Fulton replied bending down to allow her to climb onto his shoulders again.

"Okay, count of three, one………two……….three" Charlie hissed dropping the first batch of dry ice into the hose before racing to do the other room.

The others followed suit.

Julie was pulling the last hose out of the window when she heard someone scream "What the fuck?".

"Time to go" she whispered jumping down from Fulton's shoulders and bolting for the door. The others didn't need to be told twice as they followed, sprinting towards the rendezvous point they'd arranged earlier.

"Bad news guys" Connie explained when they had all caught their breath.

"What? We didn't get caught did we?" Charlie asked feeling very alarmed. He was certain they hadn't been seen by anyone other than the Ducks.

"No its not that, it looks like we're gonna have to sleep outside tonight, they've shut our windows when they did the head checks" Connie explained. She was certain the dummies from Health class had worked as decoys but in the process the teachers on duty had closed each of their windows before leaving the room, blocking the only access they had to the dorm rooms.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luis fumed stamping his foot on the ground. He didn't want to sleep outside in this weather, it was too cold.

"Yeah we'll all be hypothermiarised by morning" Goldberg complained.

"We're all gonna die!" Averman declared dramatically.

"Shut up!" Russ and Ken said at the same time.

"So where can we go without anyone knowing we're actually not in our dorms?" Julie asked.

The group thought for a moment before Connie spoke up "I got it! Under the bleachers at the track and field oval, no one would check there" she said remembering that there was a grassy area behind there.

"Can't we just sleep in our locker room?" Dwayne asked.

Julie looked at him and replied "Ew, it smells too much to even think about sleeping in there"

Dwayne looked at the ground.

"Track and field oval it is then" Charlie declared leading the way.

Adam wrapped his arm around Connie who snuggled into him as they walked. Portman stared at them for a few seconds before turning away sadly. It reminded him of happier times when him and Allie were walking together in each others arms.

"Doesn't look too bad" Charlie investigated once they arrived.

The Ducks were too tired to really care as they piled in under the bleachers, each finding a decent spot to sleep in.

Portman awoke to find the sun shining directly in his eyes. He felt something warm against his chest and when he looked down he saw a mass of blonde hair.

"Allie?" he whispered hopefully placing his hand on the figure's hair to stroke it gently.

"MMph" the figure replied rolling over to reveal Julie.

"Oh shit, sorry Jules" Portman replied removing his hand from her head.

"What?" Julie finally awoke "Oh sorry" she added feeling embarrassed that she'd spent the night curled up into his chest.

She went to get up but found that an arm around her waist was preventing her from moving. Julie and Portman both looked across to see Fulton snuggled up against Julie's back with his arm slung over her.

"Fulton" Julie pushed him softly.

"Five more minutes mom, I'm comfortable" Fulton mumbled making Julie and Portman laugh.

"Fulton!" Portman punched his fellow Bash Brother on the shoulder making Fulton frown in his sleep before waking up.

"Fuck off Portman" Fulton said with his eyes still closed. He opened them and blinked a couple of times before he realised what he was doing.

"Sorry Jules, I didn't mean to, um you were comfortable and i…" he trailed searching to find the right words.

"Its okay Fult, I did the same thing to Portman" Julie replied shooting Portman an apologetic look.

"Its okay, you're just lucky I realised who you were before I did something stupid like try to kiss you" Portman smiled at Julie to let her know he was cool with her sleeping on him.

"Why would you want to kiss Julie?" Averman asked putting his glasses on. He'd caught the tail end of the conversation and wanted to know why the Bash Brothers were cuddling Julie and talking about kissing her.

"Oh I just thought she was……" Portman stopped mid sentence before his expression turned sour "Nevermind" he spat out before getting up and stomping off leaving behind a confused bunch of Ducks who were looking at Averman, Fulton and Julie with interest.

"What did I say?" Averman asked.

"Nothing Ave, he's just upset about Allie still, he thought I was her this morning and I think he's still hurting pretty badly" Julie said looking out towards where Portman had just exited.

Charlie opened his mouth to speak but the sound of the Assembly bell cut him off.

"We'd better get going otherwise we're gonna get busted" he finally said when the bell had finished as the entire team got up and stretched their tired limbs before making their way towards the hall.

"Dude you okay?" Fulton whispered as he caught up to Portman making his way towards the hall for the assembly.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to snap like that. I guess it was just wishful thinking that Allie would be here sleeping on my chest like that" Portman admitted quietly.

Fulton patted his shoulder sympathetically smiling as Hayley bounded up to them and took a seat next to Fulton. Portman tried to ignore the girl sitting on the other side of him as she stared at him in disbelief with a goofy grin plastered to her face.

The Hall erupted into fits of laughter as the Varsity team made their way into the hall soaking wet with soapsuds all over their clothes and their hair in different shades of green, purple and yellow.

They glared at the Ducks as they made their way past them towards the seats that had been reserved for them.

"Poor Scooter" Julie piped up from the other side of Hayley who whispered back

"Don't worry, I put water dye and no peroxide in his hair gel, it'll wash out. The others weren't so lucky though, I used permanent dye _and _peroxide in their stuff" Hayley tried not to laugh as the Dean called for the attention of the hall.

Rick Riley turned around and glared one last time at the Ducks who were still trying to stifle laughs before giving the Dean his full attention. He hated being the laughing stock of the school.

Coach Orion looked at the Ducks questioningly. They simply returned his silent question with blank looks. The Coach seemed to accept it for now. He'd definitely get to the bottom of this at the next practice.

"Never in my entire career as an educator have I seen such blatant disrespect for not only our school but for the team that has brought us three consecutive state championships in their own right, thereby extending Eden Hall's thirty seven consecutive State Championships to forty" Dean Buckley began receiving nods of approval from Tom Riley and the rest of the Alumni.

"What's he saying Russ?" Dwayne asked confused. "Is it shrinking sphincters again, cos I gotta tell you he should really see a doctor for that" he added causing Russ, Julie, Fulton, Hayley and Portman to stifle laughs.

"What's so funny?" the girl on Portman's right whispered.

"Nothing, just Dwayne making a Duck joke" Portman replied not even looking at her.

"If the culprits are not caught then I have no choice but to cancel this years field trip to the paper making factory" Dean Buckley threatened oblivious to the fact that not one student really wanted to attend that field trip anyway.

"Oh no!" Charlie declared loudly gesturing the rest of the students to act depressed so that the Dean didn't realise that his threat wasn't bearing much weight with the student body.

Rick Riley stood up in all of his green-haired, soap sudded glory. "We know who the culprits are" he accused his eyes boring into Charlie's.

"Do you have any proof?" Dean Buckley asked knowing exactly who Rick Riley was accusing.

"Isn't it obvious, those pesky little Ducks did it and everyone here knows it" he whined.

"Again, do you have any proof?" Coach Orion piped up asked looking between Rick Riley and Charlie who was giving the Dean an innocent look.

"No but.." Rick started.

"Then sit down Mr Riley, my team won't be accused of things you don't have proof of" Coach Orion boomed.

"Conway stand up!" Orion yelled as all eyes turned on Charlie.

"Yes Coach?" Charlie replied knowing he was going to have to lie to save the Ducks from eternal detention.

"Did you pull this stunt on the Varsity team?" Orion made a point of looking at Dean Buckley and Tom Riley to get the point across that he was deadly serious.

"No Coach" Charlie lied looking cool and calm on the outside but inside he was shaking like a leaf.

"Then its settled" Orion sat down.

"Well why are they all dressed in black athletic gear then at this time in the morning?" Rick accused not wanting to drop the battle he was clearly losing.

Dean Buckley looked towards Charlie who was still standing up

"Team fitness exercise, we're lacking stamina on the ice so we're running around the track and field oval to increase endurance" Charlie explained quickly, feeling rather proud of himself for coming up with that one.

"Thank you Mr Conway you can sit down" Dean Buckley said before wrapping up his little speech with more on how school pride shouldn't be disrespected and how they should be nice to their fellow classmates.

He finally dismissed them 15 minutes later.

Charlie grinned as Linda came running up to him and jumped into his arms "You guys are awesome!" she exclaimed kissing him on the cheek. She loved every second of seeing Varsity suffer like they had. The only one she felt sorry for was Scooter.

"Jules, Scooter's not going to be too mad is he?" she asked quietly.

Julie shook her head "Nah apparently Miss Hayley over there went soft on him and gave him wash out dye rather than permanent" she whispered back.

"Oh nice one!" Linda laughed walking beside Charlie hand in hand.

"I suppose you Duckies think you're clever" Riley's snide voice interrupted their conversation.

"Why would we think that?" Charlie replied still holding on to Linda's hand.

"We know it was you" Cole threatened waving his fist in Charlie's face.

"Do you have any proof _Mr Riley_?" Portman piped up mimicking Coach Orion.

"We don't need it, we know it was you and you'd better watch your backs, especially you Goalie" Riley threatened Julie.

"Hey, touch her and I'll kill you" Scooter pushed his way out of the Varsity crowd to stand beside Julie.

"Then you'd better watch you're back too _Scooter_. I know you were in on this too" Cole tried to think of something smart to say after the shock of his teammate taking the Ducks side.

"Does it look like I was in on this?" Scooter pointed to his hair and his wet clothes. The bubbles had gotten all over everything and every piece of clothing he owned had to be hosed down before he could wear them.

"Just watch it Goalie and don't get smart with me" Cole replied.

"Come on Cole, lets go. Watch your backs" Riley tried to reinforce his threats after being made to look so stupid earlier.

"Oooh we're so scared" Russ said sarcastically to Varsity's retreating backs.

Scooter remained at Julie's side.

"Thanks for sticking up for me" Julie replied giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"No one threatens my girl" Scooter said placing his arm around Julie's shoulders.

"Will you do that for me?" Connie asked Adam.

"Of course" Adam replied smiling at her.

"Hey Connie you dumb bitch" Fulton called raising an eyebrow at Adam.

"Hey!" Connie replied sharply before realising what was going on.

"Yeah, hey!" Adam said weakly, his eyes growing wide when Portman and Fulton started pounding their fists into their hands indicating they were going to get him.

"Pft, some hero you are" Connie replied smacking both Portman and Fulton upside their heads.

The team erupted into laughter as they walked down the hallway towards their next class where various students stopped them to congratulate them on pranking Varsity and getting them out of the words most boring field trip ever.

……………………………………………………..

Rick Riley and Cole's girlfriend Mindy were in the main office trying to dig up some dirt on the Ducks they could use. Rick was there with Mindy because Mindy often volunteered to help out around the office for extra credit. She wasn't exactly the brightest girl in the world.

"Mail run" Mindy announced grabbing Eden Hall's mail from the basket. Once a week someone was assigned to deliver student mail to the dorm rooms.

"Hey look" she exclaimed picking out a stack of letters addressed to Dean Portman.

Rick stopped looking in the filing cabinets and came over to see what Mindy was pointing at.

"Postmarked New York, hmm interesting" Rick said, a plan forming in his mind.

"Didn't that Allie girl move to New York?" Mindy asked with a confused look on her face.

"Exactly" Rick said reaching past Mindy and pulling out a red marker.

"What are you doing?" Mindy asked.

"Sending them back" he replied with a smile playing on his lips, everyone knew how depressed Portman had been since she left, what harm would it do if he never heard from her again? Lots of harm! Rick thought triumphantly as he wrote _RETURN TO SENDER _across each envelope and put them in the basket marked "Outgoing Mail".


	13. New York, New York

**EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER**

_**ALLIE – NEW YORK**_

Allie had loathed everything about New York when she'd first arrived but after eighteen months of living there she was finding it was growing on her. She was now entering her Junior year at Madison College and had even made some friends in the process.

She was no longer a cheerleader. The cheerleaders at Madison had welcomed her with open arms once they found out she had been captain of Varsity at Eden Hall but the continuous questions about the Ducks, especially the drooling comments about Portman was proving to be too difficult and she wanted to keep as far away from the Madison hockey players as possible. They just reminded her too much of what she was missing out on back in Minnesota with Portman.

Instead she chose music, as it was probably the furthest thing away from the jocks and the cheerleaders she could find. She found she liked learning how to compose her own stuff as well as play the piano and fooling around on the drum kit. She'd started out playing the guitar but somehow she'd managed to break at least one string each lesson and she was sure her teacher wanted to kill her.

Her father had allowed Bash to stay with her in New York to keep her company and since he actually owned the building that her penthouse was in, there was no problem keeping him there. Well her mother had a problem with it of course until Allie pointed out that if anyone tried to steal her jewellery Bash would be there to attack them. Now she tolerated the dog simply because she thought he could protect her belongings.

Allie got her exercise by running through Central Park with Bash as her bodyguard. Bash of course loved the long runs and getting to smell new smells each time. He especially loved the hotdog stands knowing he'd get one as a treat each time Allie took him running. She was sucker for his puppy dog face, it still reminded her of Portman.

She often thought about Portman and what he was doing. It had hurt like hell when all of the letters she'd written him had come back unopened and unwanted. She'd written one letter a day for two months until all of the letters came back. He obviously didn't want to talk to her. Not that she could blame him; it would have been too hard to keep up a long distance relationship, or at least that's what she told herself anyway.

So there she was sitting in the common room at school with her 'new' friends Alicia and Steph when she was surprised to be interrupted by Nicholas Eastwood, the most popular Senior in school.

"Hey Allie can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked politely flashing her the smile that had made so many females in New York swoon.

"Oh um, sure" Allie said wondering what the hell he wanted. He'd never really talked to her before unless you counted the "Hey lookin' good" she occasionally got from him and his friends in the halls when his girlfriend wasn't around. She was completely unsure as to how he even knew her name.

She got up from her spot on the floor and followed him over to the corner tables.

"So what's up?" she asked as he gestured for her to sit down.

"I was wondering if you'd maybe um" he paused smiling shyly. He reminded Allie of Adam Banks when he did that.

"Maybe what Nicholas?" Allie asked gesturing him to get on with it.

"You'd maybe wanna come to Winter Formal with me?" he finished looking at her hopefully.

Allie was taken aback. Surely this was a joke. He was with Celeste Richards, the most popular girl in school, why was he asking her to Winter Formal?

"What about Celeste?" Allie asked.

Nicholas smiled sadly at her "We broke up, she's going with Johnny Riley" he informed her referring to Johnny Riley, the guy who Allie swore could be the separated twin of Rick Riley, only eviller. She'd always meant to ask whether he was related to Rick or not but had never gotten around to it, he was the type of person Allie preferred not to speak to unless she really had to.

"Oh right. Well I guess I can go with you" Allie said flashing him a small smile.

"Really? Oh I mean great, no better than great" Nicholas rambled genuinely excited that she'd accepted. He'd seen Allie around the halls a few times in the past 18 months but because of his relationship with Celeste, who of course was incredibly jealous if he even blinked in the direction of another girl, he could never actually talk to her, until now that is.

"So can I pick you up say 7.00?" he asked secretly wondering where she lived.

"Sure, hang on I'll just get you my address" she said looking around for a pen.

"Here" Nicholas offered taking a notebook from the shelf and tearing a page out before producing a pen from his backpack.

"Thanks, um don't panic if the doorman gives you grief, he likes to think he's my bodyguard or something" Allie referred to Jones, the doorman of her apartment building. She was convinced he'd made a pact with her father to keep an eye on her.

"That kinda sounds like my older brother, he likes to think he knows everything since he's a big college student now" Nicholas joked.

Allie laughed politely. Maybe going to Winter Formal with him will be fun.

"Well I'd better let you get back to your friends, wouldn't want them mad at me for stealing you away" Nicholas got up from his seat and picked up his backpack.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you later then" Allie said getting up too.

"Yes, most definitely" Nicholas said quickly leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.

Allie looked around to find the entire common room staring at her. She fought the urge to yell "WHAT?" at the top of her lungs but decided against it, that was the Minnesota Allie and this was the New York Allie. In New York there was more chance of a gang jumping her with weapons if she pissed the wrong people off.

She found her way back to her friends who were staring at her just as surprised. She said nothing as she flopped back down on the floor.

"So what was that about?" Steph whispered knowing that their little group had just attracted the attention of the entire common room.

"Not much" Allie replied coyly knowing she was driving them crazy.

"Not much my ass now spill" Alicia boomed in her New York accent. She was a very pretty African-American with lightish skin and huge chocolate eyes.

"Okay, he just asked me to Winter Formal" Allie replied giving in. Steph pushed her long black hair out of her face and squealed.

"Geez Stephie no need to get so excited" Alicia scolded. "Is Celeste gonna kick your ass for this?" she added hoping that there would be a fight so Alicia could finally punch Celeste Richards in her perfectly made up face. There was definitely no love lost between Alicia and Celeste.

"Pft, love to see her try" Allie laughed "Nick says that they broke up and she's going to Winter Formal with" Allie paused "Get this, Johnny Riley!" she finished.

"I knew that girl had mush for brains, Johnny Riley is a creep" Alicia informed the rest of the group what they already knew.

"So what are you gonna wear?" Steph interrupted changing the subject. She hated talking about Johnny Riley and she most definitely hated him and his stupid cousin from Minnesota. She had never told anyone the reason behind it and she never intended on doing so either, the Rileys had warned it would just be her word against theirs.

"I don't know, what are you guys gonna wear?" Allie knew that most girls would be wearing white or pale blue dresses as they were sick of dreary "winter" colours and white and pale blue were acceptable for Winter Formal.

"I'm not even sure if I'm going yet" Alicia teased knowing this would set Allie off.

"Oh yes you are, if I'm going with Nicholas Eastwood then you're definitely going" Allie scolded trying to keep her angry face on.

"Yes mother" Alicia and Steph giggled.

"Shopping after school then?" Allie asked.

"Yep, as long as Bash doesn't come. He squished my stuff last time" Steph complained. She thought the dog was cute but he had a tendency to get overexcited when there are shopping bags around. Its like he's convinced they're all for him and he has to stick his nose in every one before he's satisfied.

"Okay deal, but I have to buy him a cookie to make up for it otherwise he'll howl and bark all night" Allie laughed.

"That dog has issues you know that" Alicia said shaking her head as she laughed. Allie treated that dog like it was her son or something.

……………………………………………………………..

Later that day the three girls headed towards the Versace store after Allie had decided to spend big for something she actually liked for a change. Mind you, it did take a bit of coaxing from Alicia and Steph to get her to do it.

"What about this one?" Steph asked holding up a pink strapless dress.

Allie stared at her for a second before replying "pink?" in an '_are you insane?_' voice.

Alicia was giving her the same look before she replied "Do you honestly want us to dignify that with a response?"

Steph quickly put the dress back on the stand before all three girls burst out laughing.

"Do you know what colour you'd wanna go for?" Steph asked.

"I'm not sure, white maybe or even silver. I think I'm sick of blue" Allie replied thinking about how her dress to most of the other dances had been different shades of blue.

"Oh my" Alicia gasped spotting a silvery charcoal coloured dress next to the fitting rooms. Allie and Steph turned to see what she was looking at.

"Wow" Allie said softly knowing this would be the dress that she'd buy. It was mid-calf length with a v-neck that stopped half way down the chest with the same coloured trim criss-crossing around the middle to give it detail.

"Try it on!" Steph gushed as Alicia took the dress down from its stand.

Allie didn't need to be told twice and within ten minutes she'd tried the dress on fell deeper in love with it and paid for it (trying to ignore the price tag of course).

"You are gonna look so hot!" Alicia exclaimed as they were walking out of the store.

"Yeah in your dreams bitch" a snotty female voice came from behind them.

The trio turned around to see Celeste Richards and her posse of skanks staring at her with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Excuse me?" Allie started quickly before Alicia could start a cat fight.

"I said in your dreams BITCH!" Celeste answered nastily.

Allie just laughed, "Yeah, whatever" she replied turning to walk away.

"Don't you walk away from me Taylor" Celeste placed her hand on Allie's shoulder and roughly spun her around.

"You have exactly three seconds to take that skinny, badly manicured hand off of me" Allie warned feeling her blood boiling. It had been a long time since she'd punched anyone and she could feel her body aching for it.

"Or what?" Celeste replied digging her nails into Allie's shoulder.

"Or this" Allie replied bringing her fist up. Unfortunately Alicia stopped her.

"Hell no you don't get to hit her first" Alicia said curling her own fist up to slug Celeste one in the jaw.

Allie looked on in disbelief as the popular girl with the perfect red curls went down in a heap. Her cronies surrounded her with "Are you alright Celeste?" chorusing among them.

"What the hell's going on here?" a voice demanded making Steph jump. She knew who it belonged to. Johnny Riley arrived at Celeste's side and helped her up.

"Oh you're going to pay for that bitch" Celeste threatened eying Alicia who simply laughed at her.

"Bring it on, I'd be glad to kick your ass all over again" Alicia said. Allie put an arm out to stop her when she saw Johnny curl his fists.

"Leave it Al" Allie warned sticking her arm out to protect Alicia. She didn't like the look in Johnny's eyes.

"Naw come on, this bitch wants to play, wanna play with me _Alicia_?" Johnny taunted raising his fists before turning on Steph "Stephie knows what its like to play don't you Steph. Rick's coming soon, I bet you'll be looking forward to that" he said.

Allie frowned when she saw Steph shy away "I should've known" she said to herself.

"Should've known what Princess?" Johnny's attention turned to Allie.

"That you and Rick the Dick were related" Allie said staring Johnny in the eye. She suddenly wasn't all that afraid of him anymore.

"You know Rick do you?" Johnny was now intrigued. He'd come to the wrong conclusion that Allie had been one of Rick's conquests just like Steph was.

"Unfortunately, does he still run to daddy every time there's a problem" Allie asked not bothering to conceal the obvious dislike she felt for Rick Riley.

Johnny's intrigue had suddenly deepened as he realised there was a different reason she knew and obviously hated Rick.

"You know him well then don't you" Johnny asked.

"Well enough to know he harbours secret feelings for that big idiot Cole, we all saw how he looks at him in the change rooms" Allie said making Steph's eyes boggle, _Rick was gay?_ She wondered.

Johnny's fists curled up again "You just made a big mistake" he said as Allie braced herself, she'd let him get one punch in before she let him have it.

Once again, her plans were interrupted. This time by a male arm reaching in and grabbing Johnny's fist.

"Is there a problem here?" Nicholas Eastwood asked giving Johnny a cold stare. Several of Nicholas' friends were behind him all ready for a rumble.

"No, no problem" Johnny said quickly grabbing Celeste by the hand and pulling her away quickly.

"This isn't over bitches" Celeste spat over her shoulder as her, Johnny and the rest of her crowd walked away.

Alicia laughed balling her fist up again so that Celeste could see it. Celeste pouted and turned away.

"You girls okay?" Nicholas asked with concern.

"Yeah, I was only gonna let him get one punch in before I killed him" Allie said seriously making several of the senior boys stare at her.

"You think you'd have a face left if he got you with those knuckle dusters he was wearing?" Nicholas asked her gently placing his hand on her arm.

"Oh, I didn't see those" Allie admitted sheepishly.

"Besides, no one hits my date to Winter Formal" Nicholas laughed.

"So what was that about anyway?" a tall handsome Senior asked stepping forward with his eyes on Alicia.

"I whacked the big red princess that's what happened" Alicia piped up rubbing her knuckles.

"I would've hit her if you hadn't stopped me!" Allie protested.

"Like I said, ain't no way you got to hit her first" Alicia said as the group of Senior boys tried to get their heads around what they'd just been told. _Someone had finally given Celeste what she deserves? _they were all thinking.

"Can I give you girls a ride home?" Nicholas asked hopefully.

"Oh um, I" Allie started not really sure what to say. "Ow!" she exclaimed as Alicia elbowed her in the ribs trying to get her to accept.

"Ow?" Nick asked with a small smile.

"She means yes" Alicia spoke up raising her eyebrows at Allie when she gave her a dirty look.

"Good" Nicholas replied.

Allie felt her cheeks turning red when he came up along side her and gently placed his arm around her shoulders. She saw him smile slightly out the corner of her eye when she didn't object.

_Maybe it was time to move on_ she thought feeling scared and excited at the same time. She hadn't even looked at another guy since Portman and that was well over a year ago.

She didn't notice that Nicholas had said goodbye to his friends and they were on their way to his car.

They passed a small ice-cream shop when Allie suddenly exclaimed "Oh shit!"

"What?" Nicholas asked alarmed.

"I forgot Bash's cookie, I'll be back in a minute" Allie said hurrying inside the shop before it closed.

"Who's Bash?" Nicholas turned to Alicia and Steph who were simply shaking their heads trying not to laugh.

"Bash is a good ninety pounds of black and tan fur with enormous teeth and lots of slobber" Alicia explained rolling her eyes at Allie who could be seen inside the shop trying to decide which cookie to get her dog.

"Bash is a dog?" Nicholas asked thinking it was kinda cute that she cared about it so much.

"To you and me it's a dog but I honestly think Allie's under the impression that the dog is human" Alicia explained.

"Oh and Bash is definitely under that impression too" Steph said laughing at the expression on Nicholas' face. It was a mixture of admiration and confusion as he watched Allie emerge from the store with a small paper bag in her hand.

"You think that'll shut him up for the rest of the night?" Alicia asked ignoring the glare from Allie.

"Yep, he missed his walk tonight, I'd say a cookie is a good consolation prize" Allie said resisting all urges to poke her tongue out at her two best friends.

"Well I'd say he's a very lucky dog" Nick said reaching for her hand and smiling warmly at her.

"Yeah" Allie said softly lost in the sensation of being near someone after so long.

Alicia nudged Steph and pointed subtly at the new couple. Steph nodded and smiled knowing what Alicia was implying.

"Um guys, we're gonna walk from here" Alicia piped up turning to leave before Allie killed her.

"No you're not" Nicholas said firmly causing Alicia to spin around and stare at him.

"And why not?" she asked strongly.

"Do you have any idea on who lurks around looking for young girls walking home by themselves?" Nicholas challenged. He'd heard all of the stories in the Basketball team's locker rooms and he knew that the rumours were true when he saw the alleged 'victims' faces after he heard the stories. There was no way in hell he was letting the two girls walk home alone.

"The bogeyman?" Alicia replied sarcastically.

"Very funny. I meant Johnny Riley and his gang of idiots. You don't want to know what they'd do to you, especially after you hit Celeste" Nicholas paused when he saw Steph's face fall. Allie noticed it too and frowned, she'd ask her what was up later.

"Please let me take you girls home, I'd sleep better knowing you were all safe" Nicholas pleaded.

"Fine!" Alicia threw her hands up in despair and Steph visibly relaxed.

Allie smiled at Nicholas, _he really was a sweet guy_ she thought.

"Hey I thought you had a black convertible?" Alicia questioned when they arrived to see Nick unlock a Silver 4 door BMW.

Nick just smiled "I do, its at home. I thought it was a bit cold for a convertible" he said simply.

Allie rolled her eyes at Alicia who was pouting. She'd been looking forward to a ride in his hot convertible.

"Just get in" Steph said opening the door to the back seat.

…………………………………………………………….

"So this is where you live?" Nick asked as they pulled up outside Allie's building. They'd already dropped Steph and Alicia off at their respective homes.

"Yeah" Allie said.

"Wow" Nick said appreciatively taking in the view before him.

"I guess that's the bodyguard you warned me about earlier?" Nick said seeing the doorman eyeing the car suspiciously.

"Yeah" Allie repeated cracking a smile.

"So I guess I'll see you at school?" he asked.

Allie nodded trying to hide her disappointment. She wasn't sure what she wanted to happen but she knew she was really enjoying his company.

"Goodnight" she said softly turning to get out of the car.

"Allie?" Nicholas placed his hand on her arm.

She turned around to face him.

He leant across to kiss her softly on the cheek. "Goodnight" he said smiling.

She couldn't help but smile back at him as she exited the car and tried to make her way over to the entrance. She gave him a small wave as she entered the building and he drove off satisfied she was home safe.

"Night Jones" she called to the doorman.

"Night Miss Allie" Jones replied.

……………………………………………………………….

"Hey buddy!" Allie called ruffling Bash's fur as he bolted over to her the second she stepped in the door.

"Allie is that you?" her mother called from somewhere within the penthouse.

"Yeah" Allie called back reaching into her bag to pull out Bash's cookie.

Bash sniffed the air and got excited, whacking Allie's legs with his wagging tail.

"Sit!" she ordered and the dog obeyed. She broke off a large chunk of the cookie and fed it to him "Good boy" she gushed scratching him behind his ears.

"Allie could you come into the dining room please?" her mother called out again.

"Um okay" she replied uncertainly. Her mother never wanted to see her when she got home, in fact she preferred not to see Allie at all unless she was trying to impress her snobbish friends.

She opened the double doors to reveal her mother in one armchair and her father in another. Both were looking angry.

_Oh crap what have I done now?_ Allie thought to herself as she cautiously entered the room and sat down on the sofa in between the two armchairs.

"Now Allie you know your mother and I love you very much" her father managed to get out before her mother cut in.

"We're getting a divorce" she blurted out. Mr Taylor shot her a look that basically said _way to tell her Vivian_.

Allie's grew wide in shock. She remained silent. She'd seen it coming but nothing could really prepare someone for something like this. Her parents were getting a divorce.

Her mother was saying something but she wasn't really listening.

She finally snapped out of her trance when her father came and sat next to her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and said "This is completely your choice but I'd really like for you to come back to Minnesota with me. I can speak with Dean Buckley and arrange for you to be transferred back to Eden Hall, that is if you want to. I'll understand if you want to stay in New York with your mother"

Allie knew she'd return to Minnesota with her father but she seemed to have trouble speaking.

"Its okay Allie you don't have to decide tonight" her father said gently trying to hide his disappointment. He'd been hoping to have his daughter back with him on a permanent basis.

"No, I wanna go" she said softly finally finding her voice. All thoughts of Nicholas Eastwood had disappeared from her head as there was only one thing or rather one person on her mind now.

_Dean Portman._


	14. Minneapolis, Minnesota

_**DEAN PORTMAN – MINNESOTA**_

Eighteen months had passed since Allie had left Minnesota and him without a word. For almost a year he retreated back into himself, leaving the dorm only to go to classes and to play hockey. He avoided other girls like the plague, only fraternising with Connie, Julie, Hayley (until she cheated on Fulton and they broke up in the most spectacular fight Eden Hall has ever seen) and Linda.

He had been in his dorm room listening to Fulton ramble on about how much Hayley had hurt him and how much he missed her when something inside of him snapped. It was like he had finally realised that Allie wasn't about to come back any time soon, if at all, and if she didn't want to call him or write to him then she'd obviously moved on and he should do the same.

He'd left Fulton sitting on his bed mid-sentence when he rose from his bed and walked out searching the grounds for any female he could find. He had the idea in his head that he was going to kiss the first girl he saw. Unfortunately the very first girl he saw was Connie and he knew he'd be castrated if he even attempted to kiss her so he detoured around her to find the next girl.

He found a short curvy brunette reading a book under the tall oak tree and decided she'd do. He didn't say a word to her as he approached her, helped her to her feet and planted a kiss on her lips. He dated that girl for almost a week before he moved onto the next one.

He'd lost track of how many girls he'd been out with eight months later, much to Connie, Julie and Linda's disgust. Its not that he set out to intentionally hurt these girls it was just that he was yet to find a girl (other than Allie) who could keep his attention. He found that each of them was lacking that special thing he was aching for.

His latest girl, a cute dancer named Danielle, was perched proudly on his lap giving the rest of the female population at Eden Hall a superior smirk. Portman was starting to get a headache from the overpowering scent of her perfume when he was startled by Julie's scream.

"FULTON REED, I'm going to kill you!" she declared whilst trying desperately to fish something from out of the back of her shirt.

Portman peeked around Danielle's body to see his best friend laughing hysterically as Julie fished out an ice cube from her shirt and threw it at his head. Fulton ducked as it went sailing above and hit Goldberg in the back of the head.

"What am I chopped liver? Why am I always getting shot at? And you cant say its because I'm the goalie Fulton cos I'm the killer defenseman now" he replied grumpily as he rubbed the back of his head.

Fulton and Julie stifled giggles. Julie seized the opportunity to get Fulton back as he was momentarily distracted, well really disgusted, at the sight of Adam and Connie walking through the door attached at the lips. She swooped down and picked the ice cube up from the floor and slipped it into the back of Fulton's pants. Now it was her turn to laugh hysterically as he jumped up and down from the shock trying to shake the cube down his pant leg.

Portman found himself laughing at the sight of Fulton jumping around like an idiot and Julie practically snorting with laughter. Even Connie and Adam had pried themselves away from each other long enough to laugh at the scene.

"You're dead Gaffney" Fulton warned when he'd finally succeeded in losing the ice cube.

Julie was laughing too hard to take much notice and she shrieked again when he lunged forward and threw her over his shoulder before marching out the door.

Portman could hear her screams getting fainter and fainter as Fulton carried her down the hallway. Everyone resumed what ever it was they were doing before Julie and Fulton interrupted them.

That was until Linda opened the door to the common room with an expression that was a combination of amusement, shock and a hint of worried.

"What is it baby?" Charlie asked rushing towards his girlfriend.

Linda turned her attention back to the room where she now had everyone's attention.

"Um Fulton just dumped Julie in the pool and she's now out for his blood" she said ducking her head back out the door to check on the progress of the situation "Oh and now she's just pulled him in after her, he's not very happy either and now they've been busted by Dean Buckley" she reported.

"Man I've gotta see this" Portman exclaimed shifting Danielle from his lap and bolting towards the door, ignoring her pouting.

"Me too!" Charlie exclaimed following Portman. They were looking forward to the verbal and/or physical abuse Julie was going to give Fulton if she got detention for swimming in the outdoor pool fully clothed.

Charlie and Portman hovered by the gates to the pool trying to overhear what Dean Buckley was saying without being obvious.

"Shit I can't hear a damn thing" Portman complained taking note of Julie and Fulton's heads hanging as if they knew they were in big trouble.

"He's leaving, I bet they got detention" Charlie said cracking a smile as he saw Julie thump Fulton on the arm when she saw that Dean Buckley's back was turned.

"Oooo she's pissed!" Portman said gleefully. Fulton and Julie were having this friend/enemy relationship lately where one day they were best friends and the next they were at each others throats pretty much like they were now.

Portman knew Fulton had a little crush on Julie and he'd been in a state of ecstasy ever since Scooter graduated last summer and Julie had decided she couldn't withhold the long distance thing and ended their relationship. She'd been hanging out with Fulton ever since.

Fulton rubbed his arm and stared after Julie as she stormed off passing Charlie and Portman on her way back to her dorm.

"Bit wet hey Jules?" Charlie laughed.

"Shut up Charlie!" Julie yelled shoving him as she walked past.

Charlie frowned and spun around as he saw Portman crack up.

"Man I wish I had a camera for that!" he laughed as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

"Is she mad?" Danielle looked up at him.

"What do you think?" Charlie said a little harshly. She tried way too hard to fit in with Portman's friends, especially since she'd only been dating Portman for a maximum of ten days.

Portman didn't bother sticking up for her. To be honest with himself, he was kinda getting a little bored with her. She followed him around all of the time, hung around after practices and games to wait for him, was always demanding he walk her to class and whenever they were together she hung off of him like a leech. It was wearing a little thin with him.

"Later guys" Charlie said walking towards Linda who was standing at the entrance to the main building where the cafeteria and common room were.

"Do you wanna go back to your dorm and, I dunno, do something?" Danielle asked Portman in a quiet attempt at a sexy voice.

_Uh oh_ Portman thought. Even though he dated a lot of girls he never actually slept with any of them mainly because he didn't want to get that close to any of them. They could accuse him of being a jerk and a heartbreaker but they could never say he was the type to sleep with them and dump them.

"We can't, Fulton has to get changed" Portman said quickly removing her hands from around his middle. He definitely didn't want to go that far with her.

"We can go to my dorm room" she said trying to latch onto him again.

"I can't, I just remembered I um, have to see Coach Orion about something. I'll see you later" Portman said quickly as he ran off. He ignored her calls to wait for her as he kept running.

He reached the other side of the school and rested against a wall trying to catch his breath wondering how long he could keep this up. He needed to get over Allie once and for all but he didn't have a clue on where to start. _I wish I could just see her_ he thought to himself.

Little did he know he would get his wish soon and things wouldn't turn out quite as expected.


	15. Back to Eden Hall

"Oh my god I can't believe its really you!" Hayley gushed running up to her old friend and giving her a huge hug.

"Yep its me" Allie said waiting for Hayley to get over the shock of her different appearance. Allie's long blonde hair had been cut to just below her shoulders and was straight as opposed to the ultra long wavy hair she used to have.

"You look, wow!" Hayley continued still surprised. She was ecstatic to have her best friend back but she looked so _New York_. Still, when Allie first moved to Minnesota back when they were 10 year olds Hayley had thought back then she looked so _California_.

"Honey will you take Bash out to the kennels he keeps chewing my shoes" Mr Taylor asked holding up a pair of what used to be black business shoes as Bash came running into the room skidding on the rug. He wasn't quite used to the hardwood floors and kept sliding about.

"Well you insist on using that deodorant that makes your shoes smell like chocolate" Allie replied with a smile as she bent down to pat her dog.

"She got you there Dave!" Hayley piped up grinning. Her and Allie were the only two people he tolerated calling him 'Dave', anyone else, including his soon to be ex-wife, would have been hung from the nearest tree.

"Well what do you girls suggest I use to make my shoes smell nice then?" David Taylor asked eyeing Bash who was looking at him with huge innocent eyes. He was just like Allie, you could never stay mad at him for too long because he was just too adorable.

"I think the only thing he doesn't eat is vegetables" Allie piped up.

"Flowers?" Hayley replied at the same time.

"No he eats flowers, mom had a heart attack when he ate her lilies, god it was so funny!" Allie laughed ignoring her father's stern look. The look didn't last too long as Mr Taylor eventually cracked a smile at the thought of Vivian's beloved flowers being eaten.

"Its so hard to imagine that the sweet little puppy I remember turned into _this huge thing_" Hayley commented shifting her feet as Bash went to stand on her foot.

"Mr Taylor, there's a phone call for you" Mr Taylor's assistant Kellie stuck her head through the door.

"Thank you Kellie, Allie take Bash outside with his brother and sister, I'll see you later Hayley" Mr Taylor said over his shoulder as he left the room.

"Come on then you big boof" Allie called to Bash grabbing his leash from the hook by the door and trying to get him to sit still while she clipped it to his collar.

"I'm so glad you're back" Hayley said when they stepped outside into the cool afternoon air.

"Me too, I guess I'll miss New York a little, some of the people were really nice" Allie said thinking about Steph and Alicia.

"Really nice huh? Any cute boys that were especially nice?" Hayley teased.

Allie let out a laugh, she'd really missed Hayley and her outlook on things "Maybe" she teased back.

"MAYBE? Oh my god Allie you never said anything about a guy in New York, you've been holding out on me you cow!" Hayley pretended to be hurt.

"No I haven't, I had to leave before there was anything to hold out on. He just asked me to Winter Formal and drove me home once that's all" Allie said suddenly feeling really guilty.

It must have shown on her face because Hayley asked her if she was thinking about Portman.

"That obvious huh" Allie replied fiddling with Bash's leash absentmindedly.

"Yeah, you still love him don't you" Hayley said sympathetically. Even though she was the one who cheated on Fulton, part of her was still in love with him.

"I never stopped loving him. I only agreed to go out with this guy because Portman had made it obvious he didn't want to know me" Allie said sadly trying to blink back the tears.

"What makes you say that?" Hayley asked confused. As far as she knew Portman had pined for Allie for almost a year before he started dating any girl he could find. She wasn't about to let Allie know that part though.

"Every single letter I wrote to him came back postmarked return to sender, he didn't even bother to open them" Allie replied softly looking down at the ground.

"What a jerk, you're better off without him anyway. We should both just forget about the stupid Bash Brothers and find some other hot guys" Hayley said trying to sound positive.

"Sure, you can introduce me to all of them tomorrow!" Allie laughed grateful that Hayley was at least attempting to cheer her up.

"So tell me what's been going on at Eden Hall?" Allie asked keen to know how her old friends were doing.

"Well Courtney got bored with Dwayne of course and dumped him, but it only made the other girls want him even more so I guess you'd say he's the schools current _stud_" Hayley giggled.

Allie smiled. She was a little pissed at Courtney for being so cruel to Dwayne who was one of the sweetest guys she'd ever met but at the same time she was glad the other girls were swooning over him.

"Um, Connie and Adam are still together" Hayley reported.

"Wow, what about Charlie, is he still mad?" Allie asked glad that Connie was happy with Adam.

"Nah he's over it, apparently Linda knocked some sense into him. They're still together by the way. Mind you they have had some huge fights in their time. Not as good as Fulton and mine though. I think that one made history" Hayley said laughing to hide her sadness.

"What fight? Was it when you broke up?" Allie asked.

Hayley nodded "He called me a slut and I called him a pig and we were shoving each other and I was about to punch him in the face when we got busted and ended up in detention for a week. The fight continued throughout detention until Dean Buckley threatened us with suspension. That shut us both up and we haven't spoken since" she said.

"Aw Hayls I'm sorry" Allie said placing her arm around her friend.

"Nah its cool, I'm over it" Hayley replied.

"So anything else? What about Scooter?" Allie asked anxious to know what he was up to.

"He graduated of course, I think he's gone to USC but I'm not sure, I didn't really see much of him last year cos when he wasn't studying or playing hockey he was with Julie. She broke up with him when he graduated though, I don't think she could handle the long distance relationship thing" Hayley responded.

"They got back together then? Wow! I honestly thought he'd never forgive her for kissing Charlie" Allie replied. They'd arrived at the kennels and Allie had just put Bash into the pen with his family.

The two girls headed back up to the house.

"Yeah I think you had a lot to do with it" Hayley said.

"Me? Why? I wasn't even here" Allie exclaimed.

"Exactly, he was so bummed about you leaving that he turned to Julie for comfort and then one thing led to another and they were together until he graduated. Every girl envied her cos she was dating a Senior and got to go to the prom. Girls at Eden Hall are so weird!" Hayley exclaimed.

"They weren't mean to her were they?" Allie asked hoping they weren't. She remembered Julie as being such a nice person.

"Nah, I think they bitched behind her back though. You know Julie, she doesn't really care" Hayley explained.

"So what about you then Miss New York, what have you been up to" Hayley turned the conversation back onto Allie.

"Not much, I'm not a cheerleader anymore" Allie replied coyly knowing that this would set Hayley off.

"WHAT?" Hayley almost yelled. She was surprised by that piece of news. As long as she could remember Allie had always been a cheerleader.

"I'm not a cheerleader, I took up music instead. Its actually kinda cool trying to write all your own shit and playing around with instruments" Allie replied calmly.

"Allie you're not gonna go all band camp on me are you?" Hayley asked pretending to be afraid.

"Maybe! I don't play the flute though" Allie joked making Hayley crack up.

"You're hilarious Taylor, I'd better get back, curfews in 2 hrs and this place is so fucking far away" Hayley complained.

"I know" Allie replied "So I'd better see you tomorrow, you know my first day and all"

"You excited?" Hayley asked knowing she would like to see Portman again.

"Nervous actually, can you bring a big bucket and meet me out front before school starts, I'm probably gonna need to throw up" Allie joked.

"You'll be fine, you have me remember?" Hayley gave her a big hug.

"Thanks sweetie" Allie said.

"And if anyone gives you crap then show them some of that New York sass and beat the shit out of them" Hayley cackled.

"Sure Hayls, I'll see you tomorrow" Allie laughed as Hayley climbed into her jeep. She only had her learners permit but it didn't stop her from driving around on her own.

"Later babe!" Hayley yelled over the volume of her car stereo.

Allie shook her head laughing softly to herself. _Thank god she's the same old Hayls_ Allie thought as she made her way up to her bedroom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How are you feeling?" Hayley asked as she approached Allie emerging from her father's car.

"Like I wanna hurl! I told you to bring a bucket" Allie laughed nervously trying to ignore the stares of the younger students at Eden Hall who didn't know her, although some of the older students didn't exactly recognise her either.

"You'll be fine, Hayley will keep you company won't you Hayley?" Mr Taylor reassured his daughter as he went to grab her suitcases from the trunk.

"I have to, you see they've decided to reunite us by appointing you my new roommate" Hayley said.

"Good, I don't think I'd be able to handle having a snobby roommate" Allie replied feeling relieved she wasn't going to be sharing with someone she didn't know or even worse, someone she knew and didn't like.

"Well we have another roommate but you already know her so it'll be no big" Hayley said purposely leaving out the part about who the roommate was.

"Who is it?" Allie asked curious as to who the third roomie was going to be.

"Linda" Hayley whispered so that Allie couldn't hear her.

"What?" Allie asked playfully slapping her on the arm.

"LINDA!" Hayley yelled for effect.

"Oh, okay Linda's not that bad" Allie said absently.

"Come on, lets go, I know a couple of people who would be dying to see you" Hayley said starting off towards campus dragging Allie along behind her.

"Um Hayls" Allie started, she didn't want to go looking for Portman just yet.

"No we're not going to see him, I meant the girls. I know Courtney will be so excited you're back" Hayley said reading Allie's mind.

"Good" Allie replied allowing herself to be dragged through Eden Hall ignoring the wolf whistles and the calls of 'fresh meat' by the Freshmen and Sophomores who didn't know who she was.

……………………………………………………………..

Julie and Fulton were standing by Julie's locker as she was getting her books out ready for her classes and Fulton was standing around watching the crowd of people around them.

"Looks like Hayley's got a new student to boss around" Fulton commented sarcastically to Julie. He was still mighty pissed at Hayley for what she did to him.

Julie turned just in time to see Hayley dragging a tall blonde girl through the sea of students that had gathered in the hallway. The new girl was wearing fitted denim jeans with a teal coloured blazer and black boots. She had one of those grandpa caps in grey pulled low over her head. It was like she was trying to hide her face.

"She looks nice" Julie observed talking about the girl's appearance.

"How would you know if she's nice, I bet she's a bitch if she's hanging around with Hayley" Fulton said bitterly.

Julie slapped him upside the head "I was talking about her clothes dumbass!" she scolded.

"Ow, no need to hit me Gaffney, unless you're asking for another swim that is" Fulton winked at Julie suggestively.

"NO! As if a weeks detention isn't bad enough, I have to spend it with _you_" she said pushing him playfully.

"Are you two at it again?" Portman asked approaching the fighting pair. He gave them a look that said he'd gladly separate them if he had to.

"_he's _at it again, I'm the innocent party here" Julie said giving Portman a fake wounded look.

"Pft, innocent my ass Jules" Fulton said earning himself another shove from Julie.

"You never learn dude" Portman said shaking his head.

"Never learn what?" Danielle asked coming up behind Portman and linking her arm through his.

"He never learns that I will just keep kicking his ass if he insists on starting shit" Julie replied mock glaring at Fulton.

"Right, um did you guys get into trouble for the pool?" she asked trying to make friends with them.

"Grr don't get me started, this idiot here has cost me a _weeks detention_" Julie hissed. At the time she had been angry but after talking to Connie about it she'd finally decided it was pretty funny.

"Admit it Gaffney you loved seeing me all wet" Fulton teased causing Portman to shake his head again. The guy just never learned.

"Not half as much as you enjoyed seeing _me wet_!" Julie cackled slamming her locker shut and attempting to leave.

"You wish!" Fulton lied before spying Hayley coming back up the hallway with Courtney, Mel and the new girl. They were all talking and laughing together.

"New girl alert!" he blurted out staring at the girl in the hat.

Danielle instinctively moved closer to Portman and he obliged by placing his arm around her shoulders and resting his chin on her head. She smiled happily glad that he wasn't interested in the new girl. Portman hadn't even heard Fulton's declaration as he started leaving a trail of kisses on Danielle's neck. He didn't want to sleep with her but he kinda liked kissing her.

………………………………………………

"Are you kidding me?" Allie exclaimed. Mel had been telling her about the time her and Hayley had snuck into the Varsity dorms last year and cut holes in all of Riley's and Cole's clothes, including their underwear and they had no choice but to show up to classes with their butts hanging out.

"No I'm totally serious, it was hilarious" Mel laughed.

"No I mean you would actually want to see Rick and Cole's bare butts, that's kinda scary" Allie said.

"Yeah it was kinda gross but I guess we didn't really think about that at the time" Mel replied.

"Um Allie" Hayley suddenly interrupted staring at something up ahead of them. She attempted to turn Allie around before she saw it but it was too late.

"Oh" Allie said sadly feeling the tears stinging the back of her eyes. She had seen Portman with a cute girl with short blonde curly hair and he'd just kissed her.

"You okay?" Hayley asked softly fighting the urge to go and smack Portman hard across the head.

Allie nodded "Yeah, its not like I expected him to wait for me or anything" she replied softly feeling like she'd been slapped across the face.

"He's turned into a real jerk anyway" Courtney said putting a hand on Allie's arm.

"Yeah he has" Mel agreed.

Hayley remained silent. She'd decided to keep this little fact to herself, especially after Allie had admitted she still loved him.

"Thanks guys, I'm fine" Allie said glad she'd decided to wear the hat. At least she could duck her head and walk away without being seen.

"Lets go" Hayley said gently turning the group around and walking in the direction they'd just come from.

……………………………………………………………

"That was weird" Julie said watching the group of cheerleaders walk the girl back down the hallway.

"Was it just me or was she looking at him when she kinda freaked?" Fulton whispered gesturing towards Portman who still had his attention on Danielle.

"No I thought that too, that's really weird" Julie replied feeling the urge to follow the group of girls.

"Wanna go check it out?" Fulton asked hopefully. He was nosy by nature and liked to know what was going on. Some would say he'd been hanging out with Charlie way too long.

Julie didn't bother responding, she simply grinned at Fulton and grabbed his hand as she dragged him down the hallway.

"Where are they going?" Portman wondered aloud not knowing what had just happened or who had just seen him. He simply shrugged it off and concentrated on getting Danielle to her first class.

……………………………………………………………………

Allie arrived at her first class, English, only to be disappointed that none of her friends were in it. She took one of the empty seats towards the back of the class and got her books out.

"Are you new here?" a soft male voice asked. She turned to see Adam Banks smiling warmly at her before he did a double take.

"Allie?" he asked the warm smile becoming a full blown grin.

"Hey Adam, long time no see" Allie said weakly. _Great! Now he's gonna tell the rest of the Ducks and now Portman will know I'm back._ She thought.

"Wow, so you're back for good then?" he asked moving his things over to join her at her table.

'Yeah I guess, I moved back to Minnesota with my dad last week" Allie said not really wanted to elaborate further. She looked over at him to find him staring.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Allie asked self-consciously.

"Huh? Oh no, nothing like that, its just that you look so different" Adam said noting her hair, clothes and the small amount of makeup she was wearing. The Allie he remembered ran around in jeans, band t-shirts and trainers with no make up at all.

"Oh" Allie said looking down at her clothes "I guess I do" she added.

Before Adam could say anything further the teacher had arrived and the lesson began. The work itself was relatively easy but Allie was having difficulty concentrating on her work. Her mind kept wandering back to the scene with Portman in the hallway, especially the part where he leant down and kissed the girl.

Adam snuck a number of sideways glances at Allie during the class only to find her looking sad about something. He thought about asking her what was wrong but decided against it. _Probably first day nerves_ he concluded.

Eventually the bell rang and Allie went to pack her stuff up.

"So what have you got next?" Adam asked trying to sound casual.

"Good question, I guess I'd better look hey" Allie said laughing softly as she pulled her schedule out of her pocket.

She smiled when she saw what it was "Music" she replied.

_Music?_ Adam wondered _Since when do cheerleaders take up music?_

He tried not to let his surprise show "Damn, I have gym on the other side otherwise I'd walk you there" he said.

"Aw you're still a sweetheart Banksie" Allie said feeling flattered at his efforts to make her feel welcome again.

"Shhh, don't tell anyone, it'll ruin my reputation!" Adam laughed.

"What reputation Banks? Last time I checked you didn't have one!" Allie teased starting to feel normal again.

"I resent that! Anyways I'd better go, Coach Baker will have a fit if we're late for class" Adam said referring to the Gym teacher.

"Later Banks" Allie called over her shoulder as she made her way towards her Music class.

She arrived to find several shocked faces staring back at her as she entered the classroom.

"Allie Taylor? What are you doing in here?" a boy wearing wire-rimmed glasses that Allie didn't really recognise asked.

"Same thing as you, I'm here for class" she said simply.

"Oh shut up Mark, she can be in here if she wants to" a girl Allie vaguely remembered piped up.

"Hi, I'm Claire, you might remember me when I did the music mixing for the Varsity squad" she said brightly. Claire remembered Allie as being one of the few cheerleaders who were actually nice to her.

"Claire, yes of course now I remember" Allie said letting out a huge breath. She knew that she would be treated as an outcast in music class mostly because they'd all remember her as being a stereotypical brainless blonde bimbo cheerleader but it was nice to have a friendly person in the group.

"Come sit here" she said patting the space next to her.

Allie made her way towards the middle of the classroom where Claire's desk was situated trying to ignore the dirty looks she was receiving from some of the other students.

She knew what they were thinking and they were pissed that she was crashing in on their sanctuary thinking that she was talentless outside the cheerleading and social world.

_Well I'll show them!_ She thought straightening up to pay attention when the teacher walked in.

The teacher made her greetings and introduced Allie to the rest of the class and the ones that didn't know her and then set out their next project.

As she handed out a sheet with a list of songs on it she told them it was their job to pick one and perform it in front of the class using any instrument or instruments they wish. Allie scanned the list surprised at the choices listed. She'd expected it to be full of Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky _(spelling is probably wrong on that one)_ pieces but it actually contained more modern music.

Claire must have seen her surprise because she leant over and whispered "We're studying modern music at the moment, a lot of people in here are into the pop culture stuff. What about you? What's your favourite type of music?" she asked

"Mainly metal, some softer rock bands I guess but I like something you can get mad with" Allie explained almost laughing when she saw Claire's expression.

"You're into Satan's music?" she asked in disbelief staring at Allie like she had just grown another head.

"Satan's music? What do you mean, metals not all about worshipping Satan, you know if you listen to the lyrics then you'll find that the songs actually have some meaning as opposed to Britney's Oops I did it again!" Allie responded slightly amused but slightly frustrated. She hadn't realised that people could be this judgemental.

"Girls we can cover that argument later, right now I want you to pick your project and get started on how you might perform it" the teacher scolded making the girls abandon their little argument and return to their work.

"Yes Miss" Claire replied before shooting Allie a weird look and turning her attention back to the list.

Allie decided to shake it off and concentrate on what was in front of her. She scanned the list until she came down to one song she actually liked and decided that this would be the one she'd perform.


	16. Portman finds out

"Thank God its lunch, I'm gonna die of starvation!" Julie complained digging into her chocolate chip muffin.

"It might just be possible with the lunch choice today" Fulton replied poking his fork into the bright orange mess the School called "Mac & Cheese"

"Guys you'll never guess who was in my English class this morning!" Adam rushed up to the Ducks table

"William Shakespeare?" Averman cut in sarcastically.

"No that dude's dead I think" Fulton answered as Julie almost choked on her muffin. He shot her a '_what did I say?' _look at her.

"Guys will you shut up and let me finish" Adam was growing impatient.

"Alright then oh mighty Duck who was in your English class?" Russ asked.

"Allie Taylor" Adam responded proudly. He'd just managed to get the gossip of the year before the Ducks had even heard about it.

"_Allie's back?_" Julie screeched in disbelief frantically looking around the cafeteria to see if she could spot her.

"Does Portman know?" Ken asked quietly looking around the table to ensure Portman hadn't arrived yet.

"Do I know what?" Portman of course had just arrived at the table and had heard Ken's last question.

The table fell silent all looking at each other in a silent bet as to who would be the one to give him the news.

"What?" Portman asked again now thoroughly confused and a little agitated.

"Dude you'd better sit down for this" Fulton started but Portman was distracted by someone else who'd just emerged from the cafeteria line.

"What the fuck?" Portman exclaimed angrily as he recognised Allie immediately. He'd recognise those eyes and that smile anywhere.

Allie looked up from her tray and just happened to look in Portman's direction. She almost dropped the tray as they made eye contact. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Portman muttered something illegible to the rest of the Ducks and storming out of the cafeteria bumping heavily into a few people along his way. He didn't care though, he just had to get out of there before he did something he'd really regret.

Allie stared dumbfounded after him not really knowing what to do. By now the entire Ducks table were looking at her wondering what she'd do and say next. She'd decided to let Portman cool off a little before she talked to him so she followed Hayley and Courtney to their table giving the Ducks a small apologetic smile along the way.

"She's kept herself hidden pretty well" Fulton commented watching her as she sat down. Him and Julie had no success in finding her earlier that morning when they'd followed the cheerleaders.

"I'll say, obviously Portman had no idea she was here" Julie said thoughtfully when suddenly it clicked into place. "No wonder she didn't want to see him right away" she added smacking herself in the forehead for not realising it earlier.

"What?" Fulton asked feeling a little annoyed at Allie for not coming to even say hello to them when she arrived back at school.

"She saw Portman with Danielle this morning, that's why she hasn't been anywhere near him" Julie explained getting a chorus of "Oh"s from the rest of the Ducks who'd been listening.

"Well she's the one who didn't call or write to him so what she expect him to do become a monk?" Fulton said bitterly. He remembered how down his best friend was after she'd left without a word.

"Maybe that's why she's leaving him alone" Julie leapt to Allie's defence.

"Well maybe she should then" Fulton replied feeling another fight coming on.

"Well maybe I should leave YOU alone Fulton Reed" Julie screamed before slamming her tray on the table and stalking off to go sit with Allie and the rest of the cheerleaders.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD GAFFNEY!" Fulton had to get the last line in.

"UGH!" Julie threw her hands up in the air and slumped down in her new seat.

"Can I sit here?" she asked the girls grumpily.

"Hey Jules, of course you can" Allie replied wondering what on earth the shouting match was about.

"MEN!" Julie declared glaring at Fulton over at the Ducks table.

"Tell me about it" Allie and Hayley said at the same time exhaustedly.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fulton found Portman sitting with his head in his hands in the middle of their dorm room. It looked like a bomb had gone off in there, there were clothes thrown everywhere, at least three broken hockey sticks and loads of plastic debris that Fulton wasn't even sure what the smashed pieces had been originally.

"Dude are you okay?" Fulton asked his best friend concerned.

"Sorry about the stuff man" Portman suddenly looked up at his friend feeling really guilty about destroying pretty much everything in the room, again.

Fulton took another look around the room and frowned slightly when he saw the hockey sticks "Orion's gonna have a fit when we ask for more sticks" he commented.

"Blame me" Portman said simply.

Fulton smiled slightly "It's your fault anyway" he replied before his eyes landed on a picture of him, Portman and Julie and he remembered why he was also in a bad mood.

Portman noticed Fulton's scowl "What crawled up your ass dude?" he asked glad to get his mind off of his own bad mood for a few minutes.

"Julie Fucking Gaffney" Fulton exploded.

Portman tried not to roll his eyes, Fulton was always mad at Julie for one reason or another and if it wasn't him being mad at her, it was Julie who was mad at Fulton. _When would they just get it together? _He wondered

"What's she done this time?" Portman tried to sound casual.

"Siding with the friggin enemy" Fulton replied rolling his eyes when Portman gave him a blank stare that indicated he had no idea what Fulton was on about.

"After you left the cafeteria at lunch she started siding with Allie and _then _she decides to go sit with that stupid bitch Hayley and I looked over and they're laughing and talking like they're best friends. She's meant to be on _my side!_" Fulton was starting to turn red in the face from anger.

Portman raised an eyebrow. He was kind of surprised that Julie would go and act all friendly with Hayley, especially after what she'd done to Fulton. Julie knew just as well as he did how much it _really_ affect Fulton when she'd cheated on him with one of the Varsity hockey players.

"Well aren't you gonna say anything? I mean she was dissing you too by taking Allie's side over yours" Fulton asked wondering why Portman wasn't even half as mad as he was about it.

Before Portman could reply the all too familiar shriek of Connie Moreau interrupted.

"I thought you loved me Adam Banks!" she screamed.

Fulton and Portman ran to the door to see what was going on. Usually Connie & Adam's fights ended up with one of them doing something incredibly hilarious. Well hilarious to Fulton and Portman and the rest of the Ducks but not to Connie and/or Adam.

"I do Cons you know that but I just don't wanna go" Adam replied standing his ground.

Fulton and Portman exchanged a look that said _this is gonna be good_.

"Well if you don't wanna go then you don't wanna be with me, goodbye Adam" Connie replied slamming him backwards into the door and storming off.

"Oh boy I really don't miss that" Guy whispered to Goldberg who stifled a laugh. Unfortunately Connie heard him.

"And you can just shut up GEEGER!" Connie screamed giving him a shove which sent him knocking into Goldberg.

The boys watched her approach the entrance to their building and mumble something to Julie and Linda who were entering. Julie's eyes turned wide and she grabbed an amused looking Linda and made a hasty exit after Connie. Of course, not before her and Fulton exchanged icy glares.

"You two fighting _again?_" Goldberg asked Fulton upon seeing his and Julie's exchange only to be answered by a grunt from Fulton and his retreating back as he entered his dorm and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Guess so" Goldberg replied answering his own question.

"So why's Connie screaming at you for this time Banksie?" Luis asked scratching his head.

"She wants me to go to this stupid chick flick marathon for six friggin hours on Saturday night. One I could maybe handle but six hours worth? No fucking way" Adam said firmly receiving sympathetic looks from the rest of the male Ducks.

"Good on you for standing your ground Banks. Chicks think they can just make us do stuff like that and that we'd actually like it" Averman rattled on.

The others actually agreed with him for once but the conversation was interrupted by one of the school's leading basketball players approaching them with a handful of brightly coloured flyers.

"Hey Ducks what's up?" the player who the Ducks knew as Tony called out to them.

"Hey Tony" Charlie replied taking lead. He was afterall the captain.

"You guys up for a party? Girl Ducks are invited too of course" Tony asked handing Charlie a couple of flyers to pass around the group.

"Awesome!" Portman replied. Any excuse for a party.

"Cool its up in Edina, Banks we can crash at your house" Charlie ordered not really giving Adam an opportunity to refuse.

Adam just nodded knowing they'd end up staying there anyway whether he liked it or not. He just hoped Connie was speaking to him by them.

"See you guys there, I'm gonna go hit the cheerleaders up and that new girl who used to go here before" Tony said not realising that there was some history between the "new girl" and Portman.

"I'm gonna go give one to Julie and Connie" Portman said through clenched teeth before anyone could annoy him further. He grabbed the flyer from Charlie's outstretched hand and stomped off down the hall.

"Looks like it'll be an interesting party then" Averman said gleefully. He loved drama.

"Shut up Averman!" Russ scolded in case the angry Bash Brother heard him and came back to beat them all up.

"Oh boy what am I gonna wear?" Averman said in a high pitched girlish voice to lighten the mood a little more before melodramatically running back into his dorm room leaving several laughing Ducks out in the hallway.

"Good old Averman" Charlie laughed.

………………………………………………..

"Hey what do you think you're doing?" Hayley burst through the dorm room door to find Allile packing a small suitcase.

"Going home for the weekend, duh!" Allie replied shoving the weekends homework into the bag.

"No you're not, your coming to a party in Edina with me Saturday night" Hayley instructed handing Allie a hot pink flyer.

"The basketball team's having it?" Allie asked reading what was written on it. She could see the appeal for the party in the minds of many Eden Hall students when she saw the words _Free Beer!_ Plastered across it.

"Yeah, they throw the best parties. Come on, you honestly don't wanna be sitting up in that big house all by yourself when you could be out with me having fun?" Hayley pleaded giving Allie a wounded look.

Allie finally cracked "Okay, okay I'll go but I'm not getting shitfaced and end up making out with some random guy" she said.

"Deal" Hayley agreed excitedly. This party was going to be so much fun.


	17. The Party Bruises

"I can't believe I let you talk me into wearing this" Allie complained as she tried to make her top meet her pants.

"Oh quit complaining, you look hot" Hayley said elbowing her in the ribs. "Better than that New York preppy crap you've been wearing lately" she added dragging her friend through the party behind her.

_Better wearing New York preppy than Minnesota skank_ Allie thought to herself as she glanced down at the skin tight black hip huggers and the even tighter midriff baring dark red tank top that Hayley had insisted she wear, especially after she'd caught sight of the small skull & crossbones tattoo Allie now had on her lower back.

"Hey I didn't think you'd show" Courtney tried to keep her surprise under control as Allie approached their group in the lounge room.

"Wow you look different" Mel commented eyeing Allie's clothes. She had compromised with Hayley that if she wore a little black eyeliner then she wouldn't have to wear the hideous dark red lipstick Hayley was trying to push onto her. _Why was she trying to turn me into a Goth chick anyways? I definitely don't have the look to pull it off like the other girls do_ Allie had thought at the time.

It turns out that Hayley had just been thinking ahead and was trying to get Allie to look different so that a certain hockey player wouldn't recognise her and start a fight.

"Wanna drink?" Courtney asked the two new arrivals as she pointed to the keg in the centre of the room.

Allie hesitated before Hayley nudged her arm

"One beer isn't going to kill you" she whispered. "Grab us two" she yelled towards Courtney who was already making her way towards the basketball team who were playing host to any guest who wanted a drink.

"Here you go girls" Courtney declared returning to the group holding two enormous red cups filled with beer.

"Uh oh, look who just walked in the door" Mel indicated to the front door where Portman had just entered flanked by several Ducks.

Allie turned to look as the girl with the short blonde curly hair immediately made a beeline for him. She turned away trying not to look too disappointed as she took another swig of her beer.

"Oh gee that's nice" Hayley commented seeing Fulton flip her the bird. She stuck her own finger up back at him and tried her hardest not to laugh when she saw Julie slap his hand down in disgust as he snarled at her.

"You gotta love Jules don't ya" Mel said watching the whole scene unfold. Everyone knew that the goalie and the bash brother were about to have another argument. Sure enough Julie stomped out of the room towards the backyard and not less than three seconds later Fulton followed.

Allie turned around again feeling eyes watching her. She looked across to see Portman staring in her direction looking dumbfounded at her appearance. She gave him a small smile before turning away again. Looking at him with that girl made her feel like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and had shattered into a million pieces.

She took another sip of her drink only to find it was empty. _Whoops!_ She thought to herself debating whether or not she should just go get shitfaced. _Nah, that'd be stupid_ she decided placing her cup down on the table and excusing herself from the group. She wanted to explore the party by herself for a while.

She walked out onto the back decking to find a huge pool that was full of Eden Hall jocks who thought swimming with their clothes on was a great idea. Shaking her head and smiling to herself she continued on ignoring the cat calls and whistles from the boys in the pool for her to join them.

She walked back towards the main house taking a different entrance where she ended up in what looked like a dining room with all of the furniture pushed aside to make room for a dance floor.

Allie stood in the doorway for a moment watching the couples dancing when she heard a loud cheer and a crowd run towards the corner. Curious as to what was going on she made her way through the crowd just in time to see Connie climbing up onto a table and dancing provocatively, obviously smashed out of her mind.

_Shit this can't be good_ Allie thought to herself as she remembered that Julie had told her that Connie was still with Adam. She searched the immediate area trying to catch a glimpse of Banks but the only person she saw that was even remotely familiar was of course Portman.

_Damn it!_ She cursed under her breath taking another look at Connie. A few guys were starting to climb up onto the table with her and she appeared to be enjoying all of the attention as numerous hands touched her body.

Allie ran over to Portman who had his back to her. She tapped him gently on the shoulder ignoring the dirty look she was getting from his girlfriend.

"What do you want?" Portman replied surprised to see her standing there.

"Is Banks here? I need to find him like right now" Allie said quickly trying to get this encounter over and done with.

"What do you want with Banks?" Portman asked suspiciously. The first words she'd said to him since coming back to Minnesota were "_Is Banks here?_", not "_oh hey Portman, I'm sorry for running off on you without so much as a word_" he thought bitterly.

"Dean can you please just cut the shit is he here or not?" Allie was getting frustrated. She was trying to help his friend and fellow teammate and he was giving her attitude.

Portman looked taken aback. Even his girlfriend raised an eyebrow.

Finally it was Danielle who spoke "He's not here, he didn't want to come without Connie" she explained with her eyes fixed on Portman who was staring at Allie as if she'd sprouted a tail and devil horns in the last five seconds.

"Damn it!" Allie cursed wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now. She quickly searched the room to find another Duck she could ask for help but Portman was the only one in the room.

So she took a deep breath and took the plunge

"Portman Connie's over there table dancing with some guys and if we don't get her out of here she's gonna do something she'll really regret" Allie explained her eyes pleading him to push aside any anger he felt towards her at that moment and help her out with Connie.

"That doesn't sound like Connie" Portman said wondering if this was some elaborate scheme to get him to come with her.

"I know but she looks trashed go see for yourself" Allie pointed at the corner where the crowd was now breaking up. Connie was nowhere in sight.

"Uh huh, and where's Connie?" Portman asked smugly.

Allie was ignoring him as she searched the room again this time trying to catch a glimpse of Connie. She saw her hanging off the arm of a basketball player and they were heading up the stairs.

"Shit!" she exclaimed leaving Portman standing where he was and running off to try to stop Connie from making a huge mistake.

Portman looked at Danielle who was looking back at him as though to say _who was that girl?_

He had no idea what to do, stay with his girlfriend or follow the girl he really wanted to be with and who knew what she'd say to him.

He chose the latter and left Danielle staring after him with her mouth hanging open _how dare he!_ She thought angrily as she grabbed another drink from the tray that was being passed around.

"Connie! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Allie exclaimed wondering how she should play this. She'd decided on being friendly and acting like she just wanted to catch up with her rather than play the _you've had too much to drink and I'm taking you home NOW!_ Type. She knew it wouldn't wash over with Connie like that.

"HEY ALLIE!" Connie yelled throwing herself at Allie and knocking her back against the wall as she threw her arms around her.

"Connie? You coming?" the guy asked impatiently before having a _wonderful _idea "Your friend can come too" he said with his eyes lingering on Allie.

"Yeah Allie come with us!" Connie screamed grabbing Allie's arm and dragging her upstairs.

Allie didn't know what to do. She definitely didn't want to go into a room alone with this guy and Connie wasn't in any state to fight him off if he got rough.

To make matters worse a second guy who was even taller and musclier than the first had emerged.

"Dude, you gonna share these hotties or what?" he asked looking from Connie to Allie and back again as he licked his lips.

Allie was running on overdrive now as she grabbed Connie by the hand and whispered "I need to show you something" in the hopes that Connie would follow.

"Where you going princess?" a third player was coming up the stairs blocking off their only exit.

_Shit!_ Allie was screaming on the inside as she clutched onto Connie who was laughing her head off.

"You guys are so funny" she cooed slapping Allie on the arm playfully as she laughed.

"Come on princess I know you wanna play" the first guy zeroed in on Allie bringing his hand up to caress her cheek.

Allie slapped his hand away "Don't touch me" she warned.

"Or what? What are you gonna do?" he asked menacingly as he slowly pushed her back towards the wall.

She tried to bring her knee up but he was standing too close for her to get a decent shot in and he caught her leg.

"Uh uh" he teased pulling her leg to rest up against him.

She used all of the strength she could manage to push him off of her and that's when he got nasty.

He brought his fist up and connected with her jaw sending her to the floor in a heap. The second guy had picked Connie up and was carrying her into a room.

Allie stood up shakily trying to fight the two remaining guys away so she could go get Connie. The third guy who'd blocked their way on the stairs was coming towards her now. Curling her fist up she managed to get a decent shot to his ribs before she was struck down again.

She shook her head trying to see straight as she tried to get up again. Her head was pounding and she could barely hear anything let alone see anything. Her mind was set on getting Connie out of that room.

As the next blow came someone crash tackled the third guy on the stairs sending him over the railing. Hands gently pushed Allie aside as the mystery person went to go the first guy who'd hit her.

"Take it easy bro' we're just having some fun" the guy said warily.

Fun? You call beating a girl fun? You call beating _my girl_ fun?" the voice challenged.

"Dude I'm sorry I didn't know she was your girl" the guy was practically crying as he backed away down the hall.

"Doesn't matter if she's mine, you don't hit women you sick fuck" the voice continued.

Allie tried to see who it was that had come to her rescue but all she could see were stars and spots in her blurred vision.

"I'm sorry man, don't hurt me" the guy pleaded.

"Fuck off and don't let me see you again" the voice said and Allie heard footsteps.

She tried to grip onto the railing for balance but she missed.

"Hey you okay?" the voice was now gentle as a hand was laid gently on her arm.

"Connie" Allie managed to spit out.

"What?"

"CONNIE! He took her up there" she repeated a lot louder.

"Come on" she felt herself being helped up the stairs and she was placed on a chair.

Both teenagers stopped dead when they heard the screaming.

"Stay here" the voice ordered as she heard him run off followed by the sound of a door breaking.

She then heard yelling and the sound of things being smashed as she heard Connie scream "Allie!"

"Connie? Are you okay?" Allie was trying her best to stay conscious but the pain in her head was starting to become unbearable.

"Yeah, he got there in time. Oh my god what happened to you? I'm so sorry" Connie was crying as she threw her arms around Allie again but this time in a more concerned manner.

"Cons can you walk?" the voice had returned.

"Yeah can we go home please Portman?" she begged.

_Portman?_ Allie thought suddenly feeling very safe. it was Portman who had come to her rescue.

"Come on" Portman said softly wrapping an arm around Allie's waist offering her support as she blindly stumbled her way through the party to the front door. To those watching she was just another girl who'd gotten drunk and needed to be carried out. If they'd looked closer, they'd see the blood trickling down her face and the eye that was almost swollen shut that Portman was trying his best to hide against his side as he helped her outside to his car.

"What the hell happened?" Adam demanded as Portman pulled up into the Banks' driveway.

Connie bit her lip. How could she tell him that she'd been so mad at him she'd gotten drunk and caused all of this to happen?

"These three guys bailed up Connie and Allie and tried to beat the hell out of them" Portman explained the short version of events mainly for Connie's benefit. The last thing anyone needed right now was for another argument to break out. Fulton and Julie had disappeared together shortly after their little bust up and no one knew where the rest of the Ducks had gone.

"What? Oh my god are you okay?" Adam rushed over towards Connie forgetting their little quarrel earlier that week as he swooped her up into a gentle hug.

"I'm fine, she coped the worst of it" Connie replied indicating to Allie who was still fighting to stay awake in the passenger seat of Dean's black pick up truck.

"Holy shit" Adam exclaimed taking a closer look at the blonde girl. The poor thing looked like she'd been to hell and back twice.

"Lets get her inside, my mom's a doctor" Adam advised holding the truck's door open as Portman gently took her seatbelt off and helped her out of the car. The second he got her standing up her legs buckled and gave out, she winced as he tightened his grip as he caught her. Portman immediately apologised for hurting her and he decided to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way into the Banks' home.

"Mom?" Adam called hoping his mother was around somewhere.

"Adam? What's wrong?" his mother had heard the urgency in his voice and was rushing down the stairs in her nightrobe.

"Mom, we need help some guys beat Allie and Connie and Allie's hurt pretty bad" Adam felt like crying. If only he'd agreed to go to the stupid movie marathon with Connie in the first place then they would have been together that night and none of this would have happened.

"What? Oh my gosh let me get my medical bag" Mrs Banks ran back up the stairs to retrieve her medical bag.

"Lets get her into the kitchen" Adam ordered Portman as he led the now crying Connie into his parents enormous kitchen.

"Allie, no baby stay awake" Portman was beside himself with worry. He could see she was trying her hardest to stay awake but it was apparent to all that she was starting to lose the battle.

Connie looked sympathetically over at the hurt girl. She couldn't believe that it was her own stupidity that landed them here in the first place.

"Now what's the problem" Mrs Banks started as she entered the kitchen only to be greeted by the sight of the two girls with blood and bruising. She stared open mouthed for a second before her medical skills kicked in. Adam noted that she'd discarded the nightrobe and had put some clothes on.

"Adam get me some ice please and hold it to Connie's cheek" she ordered before turning to Allie.

"Dean dear could you hold her head upright please? Yes that's it, now what's her name?" Mrs Banks asked getting her penlight out to check her eyes.

"Allie Taylor" Portman supplied fighting the urge to bury his face in Allie's hair. _She has to be okay_ he thought desperately. He'd only just found her again.

"As in David Taylor?" Mrs Banks blurted out surprised.

"Yeah she's his daughter" Adam said gently as Mrs Banks checked her pupils.

"Allie? Sweetheart can you hear me?" Mrs Banks gently shook Allie's arm.

Allie mumbled "mmm hmm"

"Good, honey do you remember what happened?" Mrs Banks continued as she dabbed a piece of cotton wool in a bowl of antiseptic liquid and started cleaning up the blood off her face.

Allie's eyes flew open and she jerked forward "CONNIE!" she almost yelled suddenly feeling very afraid.

"I'm right here Allie" Connie leapt forward kneeling at Allie's side. "I'm okay" she said softly letting the fresh tears fall. The girl had been hurt badly and all she could think about was whether Connie was okay, it wrenched at Connie's heart as she struggled with the guilt.

"Cons?" Allie lowered her voice to almost a whisper as she gripped Connie's hand.

"Dean has she become unconscious at any stage since you found her?" Mrs Banks interrupted checking various parts of Allie's face, neck and arms to determine whether she was hurt anywhere else.

"No, she's been fighting it the whole time" Portman replied feeling his stomach flutter as he thought about how much he was still in love with her.

Mrs Banks wrote some notes down in her medical journal and made her final assessment "I think she'll be okay, lets get her cleaned up and let her get some rest, Adam will you go make up the guest room please?" she asked placing a bandaid over the cut above Allie's left eyebrow.

Adam nodded and left the room as Mrs Banks turned her attention to Connie.

"Now my dear what happened to you?" she asked gently placing her fingertips to the lump on Connie's forehead.

"I think I hit my head on a cupboard" Connie replied trying to explain the bump on her forehead. The bruise on her cheek however was a different story.

"You think?" Mrs Banks questioned.

"I'm not really sure" Connie replied truthfully lowering her eyes.

"You've been drinking haven't you?" Mrs Banks wasn't one to be fooled. She'd seen all the telltale signs of someone who'd had too much to drink.

Connie nodded tears filling her eyes.

Mrs Banks grew a little more worried. Whenever someone was drunk and got injured the pain doesn't register as the person usually can't feel anything. She'd seen cases where this had proven to be fatal.

"Okay this might dig in a little" Mrs Banks advised as she pressed her index finger into Connie's cheek feeling for any fractures or breaks. She felt a slight bump halfway across.

"Connie lets get you into the hospital for some x-rays on that cheek" Mrs Banks ordered packing up her medical kit.

"Hospital?" Connie's eyes grew wide. She hadn't been hurt that badly, why did she need to go to hospital?

"Yes, I think you may have fractured that cheek but I want to be certain. We have to think about your hockey career" Mrs Banks said wincing when she realised she sounded exactly like her husband.

"Guest rooms all ready" Adam announced returning to the room.

"Adam dear stay here with your friends, I'm just taking Connie to the hospital for some x-rays" Mrs Banks advised.

"Hospital?" Adam repeated dumbfounded staring at Connie. _Surely she wasn't hurt that badly? _he wondered.

"I think she may have a fractured cheekbone" Mrs Banks said gently "She'll be fine" she added softly patting her youngest son's arm.

"I can look after Allie if you wanna go Banksie" Portman offered quietly.

"Can I come mom?" Adam pleaded looking like a little boy who was asking for his favourite candy bar in the supermarket.

"Show Dean to the guest room and meet me at the car" Mrs Banks caved in hoping that her husband wouldn't wake up to find two strange kids in the house and her and Adam gone.

Adam nodded and gestured for Portman to follow.

"Dean there's some water in the fridge in the corner of the room, if she starts to feel hot or complains of a dry mouth give her a few sips. Don't let her down the whole glass in one hit though" Mrs Banks instructed.

Portman nodded as he gently scooped Allie up in his arms once again and followed Adam to the guest room. He tried not to pass out himself as he caught a whiff of the intoxicating scent of her strawberry scented body lotion wafting up from her skin. It had been so long since he last held her in his arms like this. It was a shame that the reason she was in his arms again was that she had been beaten to a bloody pulp.

He carefully placed her on the bed as he removed her shoes and the large hoop earrings she was wearing. They looked mighty uncomfortable to sleep in, he decided.

He lingered over her a moment longer taking note of the slight changes in her appearance since he last was this close to her. She looked a little older, wiser and in his opinion definitely hotter.

He placed a soft kiss on her swollen lips and reluctantly pulled away as he sat down on the other side of the double bed to watch her as she slept.

……………………………………………..

Allie awoke the next morning to a throbbing headache. Slowly opening her eyes she was greeted by a room that wasn't either her own room at home or her dorm room. She felt a weight behind her and an arm wrapped loosely across her waist.

_Oh shit!_ She thought hoping she hadn't had a one night stand. She gently pulled the cover back to peek under it and was relieved to find that she was still fully clothed.

Carefully she removed the arm from her waist and rolled over to see who was in the bed with her. She gasped when she was who it was.

_How the hell did I end up in the same bed as Portman?_

She felt the butterflies in her stomach as she noticed how sexy he looked when fast asleep. She wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss him at that moment and as she tried to smile to herself she felt the stiffness come back to her face.

She reached up to gently touch her lips and was surprised to find that they felt three times bigger than normal.

Then it all came flooding back to her, Connie, the fight, Portman rescuing her. It all made sense.

Sinking back down onto her pillows she couldn't help but ask _why does this shit always happen to me?_

Portman groaned in his sleep and subconsciously wrapped his arm around her again. Allie glanced across at him wondering if he was waking up when she saw he wasn't she decided to leave his arm where it was, it made her feel safe.

She gently rolled to face him taking in the curves and contours of his face as he slept. He moved again and Allie allowed herself to be pulled in closer to him. Portman stirred slightly as she placed her head on his chest and hugged him back. Opening one eye, he smiled when he saw her there and placed a kiss on her forehead before going back to sleep.

Allie debated whether she should leave after he kissed her but decided against it as she too settled back into sleep.

Adam found them in the same position a few hours later when he went to check on them.

Allie woke up to the sound of someone entering the room and was surprised to find it was Adam Banks.

She shot up out of Portman's grasp turning red with embarrassment. She looked over at him ready to die when she saw his amused expression.

"Adam is he awake yet?" an unrecognisable female voice asked coming into the room.

Allie looked on in shock as the girl she remembered as being Portman's girlfriend walked into the room against Adam's attempt at caution.

"YOU SLUT!" she yelled jolting Portman awake.

"Nothing's going on I promise" Allie tried reasoning with the girl. All this yelling wasn't doing her head any favours.

"What the fucks going on?" Portman asked sleepily seeing Allie glaring at him angrily.

"What did I do?" he asked desperately as Allie thumped him on the arm and pointed at his girlfriend.

"I hate you Dean Portman" Danielle cried dramatically.

"Danielle wait! Nothing happened I swear" Portman said torn between the girl who was meant to be his girlfriend and the girl he'd climbed into bed with last night.

"I don't believe you" Danielle said pouting. Adam had closed the door; his parents really didn't need to hear this fight.

"It's the truth" Allie replied moving away from Portman and getting out of the bed.

"Doesn't my face say it all?" Allie added giving Danielle a full view of bruising. She could actually open her left eye now.

Danielle looked at Allie in horror silently questioning her whether it was Portman who'd done that to her. Allie realised what she was trying to say and shook her head indicating that no it wasn't Portman who'd hit her.

"I'd better go" Allie said shooting Adam an apologetic look. He'd let her stay in his house and she'd repaid him by causing a fight between Portman and his girlfriend. This was the exact reason why she'd stayed away from him in the first place.

"Allie wait" Portman blurted out before he knew what he was going to say.

Danielle looked at him in awe _how could he be acting like this when I'm right here?_ She wondered.

"Dean I've caused enough trouble" Allie replied grabbing her shoes and bag from the nightstand where Portman had placed them the night before.

"I'm sorry about this Adam" Allie said softly as she turned to leave.

"Dean?" Allie asked softly.

Portman shot his head up. He loved the fact that she still called him Dean.

"Thanks for getting me out of there last night" she said quietly before slipping out of the door.

Allie slipped out of the Banks' house undetected. She didn't want to draw the attention of the Ducks who were in the Banks' kitchen enthralled in hearing from Connie what had happened the previous night.

She walked barefoot to the end of the driveway before she put her shoes on.

"Damn it!" she cursed out loud realising that she now had no way of getting home. Portman had driven her to the Banks house but it was Hayley who'd driven her to the party.

She reached into her purse and took out her cell phone surprised to find that it had been switched off.

She turned it on half expecting the battery to be flat and realised that Portman must have turned it off when she saw how many missed calls and messages she had.

She had 23 missed calls from Hayley who was obviously worried about her and numerous other missed calls from Mel and Courtney's cells.

She chose to ignore the text messages for the time being and dialled Hayley's cell.

Hayley picked up on the second ring.

"Allie thank god!" she exclaimed heavily down the phone.

"Hayls, I'm at Adam's house can you come get me? I really don't wanna phone dad. You'll see why when you get here" Allie said trying not to cry. She felt like history repeating itself but instead of being drugged she'd been bashed.

"Are you okay? Wait you're at _Adam Banks' _house?" Hayley asked wondering what on earth her friend was doing there. Last she heard Allie had left the party with Portman and Connie and she'd assumed she'd gone back to the dorms. Needless to say she was terribly worried when she got there and saw Allie hadn't been back at all.

"Yeah do you need the address" Allie asked hoping she wouldn't have to walk to the end of the street to read the sign post to figure out what street she was on.

"Nah I know where it is. Give me 10 okay hun?" Hayley asked.

"Okay" Allie replied hanging up. She sat on the curb and waited for her ride to come.

………………………………………………

"Sweetie are you o…. oh my god what the fuck happened to you?" Hayley exclaimed as Allie climbed into the passenger's side of Hayley's black jeep.

"I'll tell you when we get back to the dorms. Hey can we get some food, I'm so hungry" Allie asked trying not to laugh as Hayley stared at her face with her mouth hanging open.

Hayley obliged, opting to go through a drive thru at Burger King. She kept sneaking glances at Allie as she opened the glove compartment to the jeep and took out a pair of Hayley's Gucci sunglasses and put them on.

They ate their food in the carpark before driving back to Eden Hall. Hayley wasn't surprised to find the lot mostly empty since it was Sunday.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?" Hayley asked.

"Fight" Allie said taking a sip of her coke.

"Guy or girl?"

"Guy, three of them. Portman got them off though" Allie said smiling as she remembered how it felt lying next to him that morning.

"Something happened didn't it?" Hayley asked knowing what Allie's smile meant. Something good had happened between her friend and Dean Portman, something that would make her smile even after receiving a black eye and a fat lip.

"Maybe, but then his girlfriend showed up so it's not gonna happen again" Allie said firmly throwing her cup into the trash can.

"What's not gonna happen again? Oh my god did you kiss him?" Hayley practically squealed.

Allie shook her head.

"Well what then?" Hayley was extremely curious now.

"Lets get up to our room and I'll tell you everything" Allie compromised not really wanting any of the students still on campus to see her face. She was kind of hoping that it would have gone down considerably by Monday morning.

Hayley agreed and the two girls made their way up to their dorm. Allie was almost relieved that Linda wasn't anywhere in sight as she knew that wherever Linda was Charlie wasn't too far behind her.

Allie eased onto her bed leaning back against the wall. For a dorm room, the beds were actually quite comfortable. Hayley tossed her belongings aside and sat down on her own bed waiting to hear the full story.

"So we were at the party right, I saw Connie.." Allie started telling the tale to Hayley leaving nothing out. Hayley listened intently especially interested in the parts about waking up next to Portman.

Neither of them noticed when Linda returned to the dorm room half an hour before curfew. It wasn't until Linda had asked Allie if she was alright that the two friends stopped talking.

Fortunately for Allie, Linda had heard the entire story from Charlie who'd managed to get the confession out of Connie. It was now a matter of Connie telling Adam what really happened. Allie sure didn't want to be in Connie's shoes right then.

As the three girls went to sleep Allie couldn't help but smile into the darkness as the memory of Portman against her as he kissed her forehead that morning. She wanted that feeling to last forever.


	18. Portman makes the choice

Allie sat in the common room the next afternoon frowning heavily at the assignment in front of her. In her second week back at Eden Hall the workload was already becoming monstrous. Thank god she had four study periods per week to catch up. Today's study period was a double and she was checking out her math homework, much to her disinterest though.

No one at school had asked her about what happened at the party. Obviously the basketball team didn't want anyone to know what happened and amazingly the Ducks had managed to keep it amongst themselves so far.

Hayley had left a bottle of MAC's face and body foundation by Allie's alarm clock that morning with a small note saying it would cover anything. She wasn't kidding; the dark purple bruises were barely visible under the natural looking foundation and she was relieved that she didn't have to go to class looking like an extra on Fight Club.

"He blew you off again?" a loud voice entered the common room. Allie looked up to see a group of younger girls bounce in. She turned her attention back to her homework after deciding that another gossip session from the Sophomores wasn't really all that interesting.

"Yes, I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" another voice answered. Allie looked up to see that it belonged to the girl she recognised as being Portman's girlfriend.

_Maybe Sophomore gossip is that interesting afterall_ Allie thought subtly listening to the conversation with one ear as she pretending to be engrossed in her homework.

"Its that other girl. I bet he's going to see her when he says he's got to study" another girl replied. Allie thought she had an incredibly bitchy voice.

"I caught him in the same bed as her yesterday. They both swear nothing happened" Danielle said sadly brushing a loose curl out of her face.

Allie could feel herself turning red. She didn't realise up until now that Portman had this whole other life without her and she was ruining other people's happiness by simply being near him.

Allie shut her textbook and tried to quietly slip out of the room. As she made it to the door she heard someone say "Is that her?"

She quickly shut the door behind her and started to head outside when she crashed into a solid figure. She mumbled a quick sorry before trying to leave again but an arm stopped her.

She looked up to see Portman grinning at her. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she tried to shake her arm free.

Portman's face fell as she turned away and said "I can't do this to you" before running off.

Portman stared after her letting the disappointment show, _she can't do what to me?_ He wondered what she'd meant. He didn't have to wait long because the door to the common room burst open and a group of Sophomore girls stood gaping at him with raised eyebrows and amongst them was a hurt looking Danielle.

He looked from the door that Allie had just exited to Danielle and back again. He was once again torn between two girls. He had to end this.

"Danielle, I'm sorry, it's over" he said softly turning away before he actually saw the girl's heart break. Feeling like an ass he headed in the direction he last saw Allie to sort out that mess. It was one mess he really wanted to clean up.

"You're an asshole Dean Portman" he heard one of Danielle's friends yell behind him but he didn't really care. She wasn't saying anything he didn't already know. He really should have ended it with Danielle the second he knew he wanted Allie back.

He ran into Julie on the way and decided to make the best of it.

"Have you seen Allie?" he asked hopefully.

Julie nodded and raised her eyebrow at him "I saw her head outside a few seconds ago" she pointed to the door Allie had exited.

"Thanks Jules" Portman called over his shoulder.

He opened the doors and was greeted by grey clouds. Trying to see through the light mist that was threatening to turn into full-blown rain he searched the area hoping to spot her. He found her sitting at one of the picnic tables with her back to him.

Carefully approaching he was shocked to find her with her head in her hands breathing heavily.

Placing a hand on her shoulder he asked her if she was okay.

Jumping up like a startled rabbit she quickly spun around to face him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded not wanting to make any more trouble for him.

"We need to talk" Portman said simply feeling the mist tickle his cheek.

"No we don't, you need to go back to your girlfriend" Allie said feeling her heart break as she said it.

"I don't have a girlfriend anymore" Portman replied wondering how hard she was going to make this for them.

"What? Why?" Allie asked not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"You" Portman replied smiling.

Allie didn't return the smile instead she replied "Don't make me feel worse than I already do"

Portman frowned. He didn't understand why she was acting like this.

"Feel worse than _you _already do, what about me? I'm the one who was the last to know that you'd come back. Hell I was even the last to know you'd even gone" he said sensing the bottled up feelings coming out. He didn't mean to sound so harsh though.

"What did you expect me to do? You made it clear you didn't want to know me" Allie replied feeling hurt. She sensed a major fight coming on.

Of course the clouds chose that exact moment to break out into a steady shower.

"What? I was in love with you Allie, of course I wanted to know you" Portman said angrily not understanding what she meant.

"Then why'd you send them back? Did you honestly think that I wouldn't be hurt by it? Cos to tell you the truth I was gutted, I was in love with you too Portman you jerk" she said through clenched teeth. She really didn't want to be having this fight with him but it was obvious that there were things they both needed to say to each other.

"Send what back? Allie what are you talking about?" Portman was at a loss. She was under the impression he'd done something so bad that she'd admitted to him that she was gutted. He pushed his wet hair out of his face.

Allie stared at him searching his face for any sign of recognition. It was clear that he was completely confused.

"My letters Portman, I wrote you every day for a month until they all came back unopened and unwanted" she said softly looking down at the ground feeling some form of comfort in feeling the cold rain on the back of her neck.

Portman remained silent trying to comprehend what she was telling him, _she really did care all that time_.

"I never got any letters" he finally replied reaching out to wipe the water from her face. He could see the tears in her eyes.

She slapped his hand away and ducked her head not wanting to let him see her cry. She took a deep breath and sucked it up as she eventually gathered the courage to look at him.

Portman tried to make the move again "Baby I'm sorry if you thought I didn't care, I did. I still do" he admitted trying to get closer. It was starting to get cold and they were both soaked to the bone.

Allie closed her eyes, part of her was saying it was what she wanted but there was another part that was screaming to walk away, it wasn't worth getting hurt again.

Portman reached out to touch her cheek pulling his hand away quickly when he saw her wince. _How could I forget she has a busted face?_ He scolded.

"I'm sorry" he said reaching out for her hand instead.

"Me too" Allie replied turning to hide the bruising from him. No doubt the makeup had washed away by now. She didn't want him to see the ugly marks on her face.

"Baby you don't have to hide from me, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, even when you get hit" Portman said softly turning her around and placing his hands on her shoulders. To prove his point he gently leaned in and kissed her gently on the battered cheek.

"You suck up!" Allie finally laughed wrapping her arms around his neck and covering his mouth with her own in a long awaited kiss in the pouring rain.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I cant believe you were both stupid enough to catch colds by standing in the pouring rain all afternoon. I hope it was worth it!" Hayley scolded handing Allie a steaming cup of hot tea.

"Of course it was worth it, she got Portman back!" Linda laughed knowing that if it was her and Charlie in Allie and Portman's shoes then she would have done the same thing.

"Thank you Linda" Allie replied in a hoarse voice. Ever since the day her and Portman had gotten back together they'd both been sick and confined to doing nothing but getting through their classes and sleeping in their spare time. They hadn't really seen each other for the past three days.

"I wish I had a video camera. That voice is hilarious" Hayley laughed teasing her friend.

"I'll remember that next time you're sick" Allie whispered feeling her throat sting. She took a sip of the hot tea Hayley had given her and felt momentarily better as it went down. She smiled when she realised that Hayley had put a little honey in it to make it smoother. She really was a good friend.

Linda pulled out her science homework and proceeded to get to work as Hayley, who fully supported the procrastination movement, took out a magazine when she was really meant to be doing her own homework.

Allie took the opportunity to go back to sleep hoping she wasn't going to snore and disturb her roommates. They were being nice enough about her coughing and sniffling and she really didn't want to push it with them.

A knock at the door woke her up and she opened her eyes in time to see a red faced Julie asking if she could hang out in their dorm for a while.

"Sure, but I think Allie's asleep so we'll have to be quiet" she heard Linda say.

"It's okay I'm awake" Allie replied not wanting Julie to feel bad about barging in.

"I'm sorry did I wake you?" Julie asked concerned sitting on the end of her bed.

Allie shook her head "No" she lied "I needed to wake up anyway"

Julie gave her a sympathetic look. _At least she's not acting as though she's dying!_ She thought to herself remembering how crazy Portman was driving Fulton. She smiled to herself at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Allie asked trying to sit up.

"Nothing its just your boyfriend is driving poor Fulton nuts, I swear he thinks he's dying" Julie laughed.

Allie smiled, it didn't surprise her one little bit. "Glad I'm in here then!" she replied.

"So what were you so angry about?" Linda asked remembering how mad Julie had looked when she'd opened the door. Linda was hoping it wasn't Fulton again.

"Oh we've got the biggest moron that ever lived on the team now and no, its not Fulton" Julie joked knowing that if Fulton heard that he'd pick her up and drop her somewhere really unpleasant like the cafeteria trash can, again.

"Who?" Linda asked feeling like she knew what Julie was going to say.

"Biff Cole! I can't believe Coach Orion would do that to us!" Julie exploded forgetting to tell the girls the good news about the situation.

"Didn't Cole graduate last year?" Allie asked confused. She was sure Cole was in the same year as Scooter.

"No, he failed and has to repeat Senior year now. It's the only way he'll get into college hockey" Hayley supplied the information.

"So they've bumped Cole to JV?" Allie asked wondering how Cole had ended up on the same team as the Ducks.

Julie looked at her confused then realised that she hadn't told them yet. "Oh no, sorry I forgot to tell you, they've moved us up to Varsity but the condition is that we have to get new players to make up the full roster so we've ended up with Cole" she explained.

"Didn't you guys have a full roster when you joined Freshman year?" Allie asked.

Julie shook her head "No, one of the Ducks couldn't join us at Eden Hall so we've been down one player ever since. God I miss Jesse" she said sadly remembering the smart mouthed kid with the unruly hair that they'd grown to love during the Goodwill Games.

"Jesse?" Hayley piped up. Linda knew who Jesse was and Allie was trying to save her voice. Julie shot her a blank look, she felt uncomfortable being on friendlyish terms with Hayley after the business with Fulton.

"Jesse Hall, one of our old players, he's the one that couldn't come to Eden Hall" Julie explained in a flat tone.

"Oh, okay" Hayley replied turning her attention back to her magazine. She sensed Julie didn't really want to talk to her.

"Wow so Varsity huh! Are you excited?" Allie asked changing the subject.

Julie nodded "Yeah its gonna be great, hard but great. I bet Portman's excited now he gets to slam players even bigger than the ones on the JV teams. That is if Coach Orion will ever let him live down this little _cold_ he caught" Julie looked slyly at Allie.

"Hey he followed me!" Allie protested weakly feeling the urge to cough come again. She swallowed hard and took another sip of the tea before it turned into a full blown coughing fit.

"It looked so romantic from where I was standing" Julie gushed remembering the pair fighting in the rain before giving in to temptation in one of the most romantic kisses she'd ever witnessed. "I wish that would happen to me" she added softly.

"What about Fulton?" Allie blurted out wanting to crawl into a hole and die for saying that the second after it left her mouth. She shot an apologetic look to Hayley who simply shrugged and continued leafing through her magazine.

"_Fulton?_" Julie replied stunned. She'd never actually thought about Fulton on a romantic level. He was one of her best friends.

"Oh come on Gaffney stop acting all coy, we know you two dig each other" Linda smiled repeating what Charlie had said to Fulton earlier that day.

"I do not _dig_ Fulton Reed!" Julie protested getting frustrated. Why couldn't a guy and a girl be best buddies without people thinking they were into each other romantically?

"He digs you" Hayley replied not taking her eyes off of her magazine.

The room fell silent. Allie could hear the bitterness in Hayley's voice as she told Julie that Fulton had a crush on her.

"Whatever, anyway I'd better go" Julie said quickly picking herself up off of Allie's bed and practically running for the door.

"Bye Jules" Linda and Allie called. Hayley still remained silent.

"Well that was comfortable!" Linda remarked sarcastically after the door shut behind Julie.

"Who cares!" Hayley replied throwing her magazine to the floor and hastily making an exit slamming the door shut behind her.

Linda and Allie stared at the back of the door in shock.

"She still likes him doesn't she?" Linda concluded.

"Yep" Allie said softly hoping that a fight between Julie and Hayley wasn't about to break out somewhere. She honestly couldn't pick a winner on that one as they were every inch as tough as each other.

Over the next week both Allie and Portman were feeling much better. Not only had her cold gone away but the bruising from the previous week had diminished to light yellow/brown colour that could easily be covered up by normal makeup. Portman only missed two practices and Coach Orion took pity on him and allowed him to play in the Ducks first game as Varsity against the Blake Bears.

"How are you guys finding it having Cole on your team?" Allie asked Portman as they walked hand in hand towards the Blake College Ice Rink.

"Weird. You wanna know what he said to us?" Portman replied scowling at a Blake fan that was eyeing up his girlfriend. Allie ignored the fan and continued walking.

"What?" Allie replied trying to get her boyfriend's attention back on to the conversation they were just having.

Portman resisted giving the guy the finger as he let go of Allie's hand to open the door for her. She slipped inside the rink ahead of him and he closed the door behind them placing his arm around her shoulders as they made their way towards the locker rooms.

"He stands up on the bench in the middle of practice and goes _I still don't like you pukes but its my own stupid fault that I'm here so if you shut up and stay out of my face then I'll shut up and stay out of yours_ I swear Charlie was going to have a heart attack right there on the ice. Even Coach Orion was shocked" Portman replied.

Allie looked thoughtful for a moment "Wow I never in a million years would have expected Biff Cole to say something that" she paused searching for the right word.

"Smart!" she finished spotting the back of Cole's head outside the visitors changerooms.

"We're locked out!" he yelled at Portman who looked around trying to find the other Ducks. There were none in sight.

"You sure man?" Portman let go of Allie and rushed up to the door. Pressing his ear to the door he could hear voices inside the locker room. He tried the door and Cole was right, they were locked out.

"You idiots have three seconds to open this door otherwise I'm gonna be really pissed!" Portman yelled through the door.

"What's going on guys?" Charlie sauntered up behind them with Linda on his arm. Allie was glad Linda had made the trip, at least she would have someone to talk to since Hayley and her other friends were on the cheerleading squad.

"They've locked us out!" Cole cried.

"What?" Charlie replied when someone he didn't recognise opened the door to the locker room.

"What the hell do you losers want?" a muscular boy with dark brown hair stared at the three Ducks.

"Wrong room Cole, sorry guys" Charlie replied quickly ignoring the glare Cole was giving him.

Cole didn't say anymore as Charlie walked over to the other locker room and opened the door finding the rest of the Ducks inside already suited up.

"What took you guys so long and why was Portman yelling?" Goldberg asked pulling his jersey over his pads.

"We got the wrong locker room" Charlie replied not wanting Cole to feel even more embarrassed and angry than he already did.

He gave Linda a quick kiss on the cheek and promised to see her after the game. Portman did the same with Allie and Linda grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the snack bar.

"I'm so hungry!" Linda declared ordering a large bucket of fries and a cherry coke.

"Looks like it!" Allie laughed wondering where the petite brunette actually put all of that food. It was almost possible that Linda could outeat the Bash Brothers.

"You want anything?" she asked.

Allie shook her head "Nah I'm good" she replied still full from the pizza and icecream she'd eaten before she left for Blake.

They took their seats behind the Ducks bench and much to the horror of the females in the crowd who had secret crushes on Portman and Charlie, the boys both blew kisses to their girlfriends before they huddled in for the now-famous "QUACK chant".

"Is it just me or is this weird watching Cole play on the same team?" Linda commented through a mouthful of fries.

"Yeah its kinda weird but its good having another big enforcer on the team, makes it easier to have a substitute when Dean gets thrown into the penalty box again" Allie replied laughing silently at the amount of time Dean actually spent in the penalty box during most games. He sometimes took the checking a little too seriously for the ref's liking.

It was a tough match but the Ducks prevailed, winning the game 4-2. Charlie had scored two of those goals and had dedicated each of them to Linda.

"The best thing I ever did was take him back" Linda said happily as the Ducks celebrated their first victory as Eden Hall Varsity out on the ice.

"I'll say, I remember he was such a pain in the ass when you wouldn't talk to him!" Allie laughed watching Fulton throw his arm around Julie's shoulders as they left the ice. She watched as he said something to her and Julie gave him a friendly shove.

"what do you mean he was pain in the ass before he's always been one!" Linda laughed standing up.

"Oh that's cold!" Allie replied softly smiling as she too stood up. Linda and Charlie really did make a good couple.

………………………………………………………

"Congrats, way to kill them!" Allie praised her boyfriend as he exited the locker room.

Portman immediately broke out into a huge grin when he saw her.

"Hey I was hoping you were gonna be here" he said giving her a kiss on the cheek "I have a surprise for you" he said with a glint in his eye.

"What surprise?" Allie asked

"It occurred to me that I haven't taken you out on a real date yet and that movie marathon in Banks' dorm doesn't count" Portman replied seriously. The closest thing they'd come to the date was that disastrous movie night that ended up with everyone breaking up and arguing.

"So what did you have in mind Mr Portman?" Allie asked intrigued. She hadn't really given the fact that they hadn't been out on a real date much thought. She was too busy having fun just hanging out with him.

"Come with me and you'll find out" Portman said mischievously reaching for her hand.

Allie exchanged a look with Linda who was grinning stupidly. She thought the pair were so adorable together, even though it had taken them long enough to work it all out.

Allie allowed herself to be led out of the Blake stadium by Portman. He made a grand gesture of opening the door to his pick up truck for her and she laughed her head off as he tried to run to the drivers side of the truck and ran straight into the bull bar on the hood.

Portman shot her a fake death glare and turned red from embarrassment. He knew Allie would laugh about it for the next few days at least.

"Smooth baby, real smooth" she managed to choke out between giggles.

"Oh you want something to laugh at do you" Portman said reaching across the seat to tickle her. By now he had learned the places she was most ticklish and the back of her neck was the best target to get even with.

"ARGH!" Allie screamed wriggling around in her seat to make him stop. Several passers by were watching the scene unfold. Some were amused but others were concerned. What was the big hockey player doing to the poor girl?

"Lets get out of here" Portman said as he eventually let up on her.

"Where are we going oh handsome one?" Allie asked feeling her face getting tired from laughing so hard.

"You'll see" Portman tried to be mysterious. He reached his hand across the seat and placed it on her knee affectionately. Allie covered his hand with her own, bringing it up to kiss the back of his hand before letting it drop into her lap again.

He looked over and smiled shyly at her as he continued to drive past the school grounds out onto the open highway. This was going to be one very special night.

(A/N – I don't actually know the area of Minneapolis or Minnesota so I'm just guessing a lot of the geographical stuff so don't hold it against me!)

It was starting to get a little dark by the time Portman pulled the truck into a campsite.

"You're taking me camping?" Allie asked confused. She would love to know where they were going to sleep since Portman didn't bring any tents.

"Nope" Portman cracked a grin knowing what she was thinking.

"Then what? You gotta pee?" Allie asked still confused as the why they were there.

Portman burst out laughing "Nothing fazes you does it babe?" he asked.

Allie shook her head "No not really"

"Come on" Portman said getting out of the truck. He looked around trying to remember if he could find the right spot. He retrieved a couple of blankets and a picnic basket from the back of the truck and gestured for Allie to follow him.

"Aha found it!" Portman declared triumphantly when he stumbled across a familiar looking campsite.

"Found what?" Allie asked looking around. She could see logs surrounding blackened fire pit surprisingly with fresh fire wood bunched in the centre.

"The victory campsite!" Portman replied dumping the blankets and the basket.

"Baby what the hell are you on about?" Allie asked getting impatient. He was purposely giving her short answers to confuse her further.

"I'll tell you in a minute, I've just gotta do one more thing" Portman advised taking a lighter out of his pocket.

He held it to the wood trying to get it to burn but to no avail.

Allie raised her eyebrows in amusement. He wasn't going to get a fire started like that.

After a few minutes of watching Portman get frustrated at the lack of fire she walked up behind him and asked "Got any paper?"

"Paper?" Portman asked dumbfounded. He couldn't work out why she wanted paper.

"Nevermind" Allie replied reaching into her pocket and pulling out a crumpled programme from the hockey game.

Portman watched as she folded the paper lengthways and grabbed the lighter from him. She inspected the pile of wood in the pit and asked him to go get some dry loose leaves and sticks to fill it in.

"Why?" Portman asked not understanding.

"Just trust me!" Allie scolded laughing softly. He was so adorable when he was confused.

Portman obliged and came back a minute later with his hands full of dry, dead leaves and twigs.

"Watch and learn"

He watched as she put the dry leaves into the bottom of the pit and arranged them underneath the firewood. She then lit one end of the paper and held it to the pile of leaves watching in awe as they slowly lit up. She put the paper in the pile and within minutes the fire had taken to the wood and was starting to burn nicely.

"My next step was to put gasoline on it" Portman protested trying to hide his admiration. It wasn't every day he saw a girl expertly light a campfire.

"Closet Pyromaniac hey?" Allie teased sitting down on a log.

"Aren't we all" Portman replied sitting down next to her.

"So are you gonna tell me why this is the victory campsite or don't I want to know" Allie asked hoping it wasn't some hidden meaning to it that was smutty. She trusted Portman though.

"NO! Allie nothing like that" Portman replied as if he was reading her mind "Its where we came for our last camp as a team after winning the Goodwill Games, it's kinda special to me" he continued looking over at the fire feeling a little embarrassed.

"Awww" Allie said jumping onto his lap. "It's perfect" she whispered as his arms tightened around her.

They sat together in silence for a while the only sound was the crackling of the fire.

"You hungry? I brought food" Portman broke the silence.

Allie shook her head "I'm good thanks" she replied.

They returned to the silence both staring at the fire almost hypnotised by the flames dancing around.

"I love you you know" Portman said suddenly turning to face her. Allie looked up at him startled

"I love you too" she replied wondering if his sudden outburst was the product of his conscience having doubts.

"I never meant to hurt you, with Danielle I mean" Portman said suddenly feeling a need to get everything off of his chest. The guilt had been weighing him down for the past week.

"I know" Allie said softly kissing his neck smiling into his skin when she felt him shiver.

"That feels good" Portman groaned into her hair as he felt her lips on his skin.

"Good to know" Allie replied softly bringing her head up to the same height as his. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"I never meant to hurt you either" she said softly keeping her eyes on him.

He pulled her closer so their noses were just touching "I know" he said before bringing his lips over to hers.

Allie could feel her leg cramping up under her so she swung it around so that she was now straddling Portman with her legs wrapped around his waist. He looked at her in surprise as it was such a provocative position for them to be in if any walked by.

She didn't seem too worried about it though as she leant down to kiss him again. All thoughts of strangers walking by were lost on Portman as he responded by pulling her right up against him as his hands traced the curves of her body. He could feel himself getting turned on as she let go of his lips to drop her head down to give his neck a little attention.

He hoped he wasn't going to poke her in the leg but he knew he had when she paused mid kiss to look at him.

"Sorry" he mumbled feeling embarrassed. He'd gotten so carried away with what he was feeling he didn't stop things before it got out of hand.

"Don't be" Allie whispered giving him a shy smile. She was just as surprised as he was. _Did that really come out of my mouth?_ She wondered hoping he wasn't going to think she'd turned into some hoochie skank while she was in New York.

Portman saw the shock register in her eyes and took it as a sign she wasn't quite ready for anything more just yet.

"We should get going, its getting late" Portman decided reluctantly moving Allie off of his lap. Any arousal he had felt earlier had gone down when she'd looked at him in shock.

"I guess" Allie said glumly not sure what she wanted to happen between them. Part of her wanted to go all of the way with him but another part of her was scared, what if she wasn't as good as the others? She had been told about his reputation and the other girls at Eden Hall had just assumed that Portman had slept with most of the girls he'd gone out with.

"Do we put this out?" Portman asked gesturing towards the fire.

Allie didn't say a word as she watched Portman answer his own question by grabbing the bucket resting by a tap and filling it up with water ready to douse the fire.

She quietly packed up the blankets and the basket that Portman had brought along and started walking back to the truck.

"Are you okay?" Portman asked running to catch up to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Allie lied not sure how she felt. She knew that she probably would have allowed him to go further if he hadn't have stopped things and she was confused as to why he suddenly wanted to leave.

Portman eyed her carefully sensing that there was more to that statement than she was letting on but he chose to ignore it for the time being. He'd wait for things to calm down a little before he asked her.

The ride back to Eden Hall was silent each lost in their own thoughts. Portman couldn't help but sneak glances at his girl every now and then as she stared straight ahead obviously thinking about something important.

Allie's thoughts were broken when he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her across the bench seat to sit right next to him. Smiling she placed her head on his shoulder as they pulled into the student car park at Eden Hall.

Portman wrapped an arm around her as they walked towards the girls dorm building as slow as possible, neither really wanting the night to end.

"You look like you want to ask me something" Portman noticed the expression on his girlfriend's face as they reached her dorm.

"Its kind of hard" Allie replied. She wanted to ask whether the rumours were true but she didn't want him to think that she thought he was some kind of man whore.

"Just ask me" Portman said softly giving her a reassuring look.

"About what happened before with the um," she paused looking down at his crotch "you know" she finished feeling her cheeks starting to heat up.

"Baby, I'm so sorry about that" Portman replied feeling like an idiot.

"No, its not that, its um, I guess I just wanted to know are you" Allie laughed nervously. How on earth do you ask your boyfriend if he's a virgin? She wondered.

"Am I what?" Portman pressed not understanding what she was getting at.

"Have you ever" Allie tried a different approach "been with a girl like that before" she finished looking down at the ground turning red.

Portman looked horrified "No way!" he exclaimed truthfully hoping she'd believe him.

Allie searched his face. She could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth.

"So the rumours aren't true then" she finally replied feeling stupid. Couldn't she have thought of anything better to say than that? She scolded herself.

"Rumours?" Portman looked confused before it clicked.

"Oh those rumours, no they're not true. I mean I did date a lot of girls but I couldn't bring myself to get _intimate_ with any of them" she finished.

"Why not?" Allie blurted out. Oh great she was batting two for two.

"Cos they weren't you" Portman replied wincing at how cheesy that sounded.

Allie smiled knowing he was embarrassed at how that last comment sounded. She kept her mouth shut though, she wasn't about to go for the hat trick just yet.

"Have you…" Portman asked averting his eyes. He didn't want her to think he was under the impression she was a slut or anything because he definitely wasn't. in his eyes she was a goddess.

Allie shook her head "No" she said softly suddenly wishing she hadn't started this embarrassing conversation, especially in the hallway.

They reached her dorm and Allie noticed the door was locked.

"Hayley and Linda must still be out" she said absently feeling the heat rising between them again.

Portman didn't say anything. He was too scared to speak in case he said the wrong thing. He could feel his heart beating rapidly.

"Want to come in?" Allie took the plunge grabbing his hand.

"Are you sure?" Portman asked wanting to ensure that she was perfectly okay with anything they were about to do.

Allie nodded "I love you" she said pulling him into the room.

She placed a hair tie around the door handle to let her roommates know she had company before shutting it behind them and locking it.

Portman stood awkwardly in the centre of the room, unaware of what he should do or say next.

Allie stood in front of him taking in every inch of his face. _He was so perfect_ she thought as she took a step towards him.

Portman responded by taking her in his arms and lifting her up kissing her lips as he carried her over to her bed laying her down gently. He paused before he lay down on top of her giving her opportunity to resist if she wasn't ready.

He looked up at her eyes and she was looking back at him with nothing but surety and love in her eyes. He smiled as he brought his lips down against hers again in a fiery kiss full of passion full of want and need.

"I love you" he whispered as he broke away.

Allie responded by lifting his shirt over his head.

"I love you too"


	19. Fulton or Jesse?

Allie awoke the next morning to find a pair of strong arms wrapped around her athletic frame. Smiling to herself she immediately knew who they belonged to.

She gently rolled over taking in the rest of the room. It appeared that her roommates had used some common sense and they'd disappeared for the rest of the night allowing Allie and Portman to be alone.

"Morning gorgeous" Portman smiled. He had made love to her the previous night and he couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. He now felt content, felt like he finally had everything he ever wanted.

"Hey" Allie said softly kissing the tip of his nose.

Portman smiled again, he was reassured that she was happy with everything that had happened between them. He didn't want her to feel like he had pressured her into anything.

"Its Sunday right?" Allie asked hoping that she didn't have to move any time soon.

Portman laughed knowing what she was thinking "Yeah it is" he replied.

She was about to say something else when she was cut off by Portman's cell phone playing Tool's "Stinkfist".

Allie tried not to laugh as Portman tried to untangle himself from the bedsheets unsuccessfully and fell to the floor in a heap.

He eventually found the ringing phone.

"Hello?" he answered gruffly.

Alllie watched him as he spoke noting his face had turned from annoyed to excited. She guessed it was one of the Ducks on the phone.

"Yeah hang on I'll ask her" Portman replied dropping the phone away from his ear.

"Fult wants to know if we wanna hang out at Charlie's with the rest of the Ducks today" Portman asked.

"Yeah I guess" Allie replied making a grab for her sweater that had been discarded the previous night.

"Okay yeah Fult tell them we'll be there" Portman replied hanging up the phone.

Portman frowned when he saw Allie getting dressed "Where are you going?" he asked watching her gather up her things.

"Shower" Allie said simply keeping a straight face before adding cheekily "I'd ask you to join me but we have communal showers and we might scare someone"

"Damn" Portman joked as he searched for his pants. He was going to have to go back to the boys dorms to have a shower.

"I'll come back in half an hour" Portman continued as he picked up his shirt and put it on.

Allie tried to hide the disappointment. She was enjoying the view of a shirtless Portman.

"Okay" she replied feeling a little awkward. She hadn't really thought about what things would be like after they had done "it". She knew Portman loved her and wouldn't leave her, that wasn't bothering her it was more an issue on whether she should act differently or stay the same.

Portman was feeling the awkwardness too except he wasn't sure if she secretly hated him for what happened.

"Bye baby" Portman called leaning in to give her a kiss on the forehead.

Unfortunately her hairbrush slipped from her hands and she bent down to pick it up causing Portman to kiss thin air.

He stepped back in shock. _She didn't do that on purpose did she?_ He wondered getting more and more confused.

"You okay?" Allie asked standing up and seeing his expression. She couldn't quite read it but it looked somewhere between pissed off and confused.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'll see you in a little bit" Portman replied quickly giving her a short kiss on the cheek before leaving.

"Bye" Allie called watching him make a hasty exit. _God this feels so weird_ she thought as she started at the back of the door for a few seconds before remembering what it was she was supposed to be doing.

……………………………………………….

"Have you been back to the dorm at all yet?" Hayley whispered. She'd pulled Linda aside at breakfast to ask the question discreetly. The last thing Allie would want was the Ducks to find out anything.

"No, I just told Charlie I wanted to spend the whole night with him. He was more than happy" Linda replied. "Obviously you haven't been back either" she added.

Hayley shook her head "Nope, I had to spend the night at Courtney and Jackie's dorm. I now have proof that Jackie is insane!" she grimaced remembering Jackie's non stop ramblings about praying mantis'.

"Courtney rooms with Jackie Palmer? How does she do it?" Linda asked amazed. She knew who Jackie was and believed every word of Hayley's declaration that the girl was well and truly insane.

"Hey Linda we have to go I told my mom we'd be there before 10" Charlie called from across the cafeteria.

"I guess I'd better go. Our room should be free soon" Linda offered seeing Hayley scowl at Fulton who was shooting her evil looks.

"Catch ya later" Hayley replied giving Fulton one last stare before leaving the cafeteria.

………………………………………………………………

"Hey are you ready?" Portman knocked on the door to Allie's dorm. He felt a million times fresher now that he'd had a shower.

"Yeah come in" Allie replied.

Portman entered the room to find Allie half under her bed.

"What are you doing?" Portman asked interested to know what her answer would be.

"Looking for my shoes" Allie replied but since it was her top half under the bed it sounded like she was calling from the bottom of a well.

"Again?" Portman asked amused sitting on the bed. Every time she was getting ready to go somewhere she would always be spending twenty minutes searching for a pair of shoes that match.

"Yes again!" Allie replied punching the mattress in the spot under Portman's butt.

"OW!" he exclaimed as one of the springs got him.

"Oh come on you big baby it wasn't that hard!" Allie laughed not realising that she wasn't the cause of his pain.

"No the spring got me" Portman stood rubbing his butt.

"You know that looks really um, interesting" Hayley appeared at the door to see Allie half under the bed and Portman standing around scratching his backside.

"Its not my fault her bed bites" Portman replied a little short. He still felt torn between his loyalty to Fulton as his best friend and the fact that Hayley was Allie's best friend.

"You'd think with all the tuition money they make us pay they could afford decent mattresses" Hayley replied forgetting that Portman was on scholarship.

"I wouldn't know" Portman replied not looking at her.

"You guys aren't going to start having a punch up now are you?" Allie emerged from under the bed with her shoes in hand.

"As much as I'd love to I've got better things to do" Hayley replied ignoring the look Portman was now giving her.

"We'd better go" he said softly wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Yeah, um I'll see you later Hayley" Allie replied leaving the room.

"Later" Hayley said not looking up.

Allie felt really guilty about not spending all that much time with her best friend since she'd gotten back with Portman and it wasn't like they could all hang out together anymore like they used to. Not since Hayley cheated on Fulton.

"I'm sorry baby, I'll be nicer to her next time" Portman said the second they'd left the dorm.

Allie just nodded still feeling like it was her fault that they weren't getting along. Surely Hayley was kinda resenting Portman for taking up most of Allie's time lately. Allie made a mental note to make time to hang out with Hayley some time this week.

The pair were pretty silent during the trip to Charlie's apartment. At one point Portman was sure Allie had fallen asleep against the window of his truck.

"Shit!" Portman exclaimed loudly as they approached Charlie's street. There was no place for him to park as he could see Averman's car, Julie's car and Guy's car lined up along the side of the road.

Allie turned her attention to her boyfriend suppressing a small smile as she watching him curse and mutter under his breath about the lack of parking. He eventually found a spot further down the road that ensured a short walk was in order.

As they exited the truck they could feel drops of rain on their skin. Allie pulled the hood of her favourite "West Coast Choppers" hoodie over her head as Portman threw his arm around her shoulders to shield her even further from the rain that had just turned into a downpour.

Their short walk turned into a slippery run and as they made it to the gate Portman slipped on a patch of mud and sent them both tumbling to the ground with a thud.

"DAMN IT!" Portman yelled getting frustrated. First the little tiff with Hayley, then there was no place to park, then the rain and now he's on his butt in the mud whilst his girlfriend was sitting next to him……… wait….was she laughing?

"Its not funny" Portman grumbled attempting to pick himself up off the ground.

"Yes it is" Allie replied in hysterics checking out the rip in her jeans from the fall.

Portman stared for a moment, watching her examine the damage to her clothes and laughing at the same time. He wondered for a second whether she'd actually lost her mind but decided against it when she finally stood up and pulled him towards the porch.

Portman pressed the button for Charlie's apartment.

"Hello?" Charlie's voice was heard through the intercom.

"Lets us in Spazway" Portman snarled half joking.

"Oh okay Portman" Charlie replied and the front door unlocked.

"I'd better take these off" Allie replied taking off her mud covered sneakers and carrying them as she followed Portman up the stairs towards Charlie's apartment.

……………………………………………………………

"Hey guys" Portman announced his arrival by shoving open the front door to find the Ducks lounging around watching TV. He was pleased to find Jesse had come over as well.

"Hey Portman, hey Allie" the Ducks chorused. All except Jesse of course who had no idea who Allie was.

"Jesse this is Allie, Allie this is Jesse Hall, the Ducks who wouldn't come to Eden Hall cos he's scared of preppies" Portman cheekily introduced.

"I'm not scared of preppies!" Jesse protested throwing an Oreo at Portman.

"Thanks man I was getting hungry" Portman caught the cookie and shoved it into his mouth.

"Well nice to meet you anyway Jesse even if you are scared of preppies" Allie replied with a small smile. Several Ducks stifled laughter as Jesse's face started to turn red.

"I'm not scared of preppies DAMN IT!" Jesse repeated making the Ducks burst out laughing. They loved giving him a hard time about not taking the scholarship to Eden Hall. It made the choice seem less hurtful.

"Guys I wanna order pizza who wants some?" Goldberg piped up. Almost everyone in the room raised their hand.

Goldberg disappeared into the kitchen to use the phone.

"Why are you two wet and muddy anyway?" Averman blurted out staring at Allie and Portman who were soaked.

"A little accident in the rain" Allie laughed pulling the hoodie over her head.

Judging by the numerous gasps in the room she guessed she'd forgotten to put a shirt on underneath the hoodie. Sure enough she looked down to see herself wearing nothing but a black sports bra.

"Crap! Charlie can I borrow a shirt?" she asked ignoring the boys who were still staring. Adam had enough sense to avert his eyes, as did Fulton but Averman, Kenny and Luis were still staring wide eyed at the blonde.

Portman stood in front of Allie and glared at the trio who had very quickly looked away.

"Here" Charlie replied throwing her his favourite Pantera t-shirt.

"Thanks" Allie replied not fazed at all by the reaction she'd gotten. If anything she was baffled, they'd all seen her in less before. Her old cheerleading outfit covered a lot less.

She put the shirt on and patted Portman on the arm resisting all urge to say _Down Cujo_ to him.

"Allie I have one question" Julie piped up from behind her.

"Shoot" Allie replied.

"When'd you get the tattoo?" Julie asked. She'd seen the tattoo on her lower back and was curious.

"Last year in New York" Allie replied smiling at the memory.

"Why'd you get one?" Jesse asked thinking this girl was definitely the one for Portman.

"I lost a bet, loser had to get either a tattoo or a body piercing. I chose a tattoo cos I really didn't want to get my tongue pierced" Allie explained.

"What was the bet?" Averman asked interested. Everyone rolled their eyes. Trust Averman to want to know the specifics.

"Oh it was whether this guy we knew was gay or not. I bet no cos he was like the most manliest guy ever but turns out he was having it off with the Captain of the football team. So I lost" Allie replied remembering how Alicia had gloated that her _Gaydar_ was way better than Allies.

"Interesting bet. You do that often? Any more tattoos we should know about?" Averman continued.

"SHUT UP AVERMAN!" Russ, Jesse, Charlie and Portman yelled at the same time.

"Okay, okay I was just curious" Averman said softly lowering his head.

"Anyone wanna watch a movie?" Julie asked changing the subject. She could see the Ducks were getting restless now.

"I do!" came the chorus from the others.

Allie and Portman settled into a spot on the floor whilst the others were arguing about what they were going to watch.

"All I wanna watch is you" Portman whispered kissing her earlobe.

"Oh really?" Allie whispered back turning to capture his kiss on the lips.

"Mmm hmm" Portman confirmed moving even closer.

Oblivious to anyone else around them the two were so wrapped up in each other they hadn't noticed that a movie had been selected and that they were now halfway through _Star Wars III – Revenge of the Sith_

"Is it just me or are they all over each other more than usual?" Julie commented to Connie and Linda from the only available seat on Fulton's lap.

Linda and Charlie exchanged knowing looks. Linda had spent the previous night in Charlie's dorm since she hadn't wanted to interrupt anything that might have been going on in her own dorm.

"What was that look?" Julie pressed moving away from Fulton's lap and climbing over Adam to squeeze herself between Connie and Linda.

"Nothing, just a feeling something could have happened" Linda said cryptically. She knew Julie was likely to keep it to herself.

"You mean they…?" Julie gestured towards Allie and Portman.

"I think so" Linda replied smiling at the couple. She remembered how she and Charlie acted around each other when they'd first been together a few months ago and it was almost exactly how Portman and Allie were acting now.

"AWWW" Julie whispered ignoring the sounds of "SHHH!" coming from some of the other boys who were getting into the movie.

"Jules I love you and all but you're kinda squashing me" Connie complained trying to move. When Julie had attempted to squeeze herself between Connie and Linda it translated to Julie half sitting on Connie and half sitting on Linda.

"Sorry" Julie mumbled climbing back across Adam to resume her spot on Fulton's lap.

"You know you really don't live up to your nickname Cat" Adam complained as she kicked him in the leg on her way past.

"Sorry" Julie whispered again thumping Fulton as he started laughing at Adam's comment.

"Well it was funny" Fulton laughed shooting Kenny a return evil stare as Kenny told him to shush.

"No it wasn't!" Julie hissed sensing how pissed off the boys were getting at them for talking during the movie she left it at that as she settled down to watch the movie.

Throughout the movie Julie kept sneaking glances over at Allie and Portman who still only had eyes for each other.

She sighed softly wishing that she had someone to be like that with. Sure she like Fulton as a friend but she didn't feel anything more than a brother/sister type relationship. She didn't really feel like that with any of the Eden Hall Ducks either.

Julie felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to see Jesse watching her. He flashed her this half lopsided smile that made Julie's heart skip a beat. _Oh my god what was that?_ She thought wondering how the hell one smile could make her like that. She'd known Jesse for years and he'd smiled at her lots of times before but it never made her feel like this.

She dared to look at him again but this time she found him looking at the TV. She studied his profile for a second or two trying to not draw attention to herself. _He really is hot_ she thought.

Little did she know, he thought the exact same thing about her.

The Ducks sat at their usual table at breakfast the next morning chattering about random things. Averman, Guy and Ken were involved in a discussion about Star Wars, Connie and Adam were discussing the best way to get to the Hilton Hotel's ballroom on Friday night after the game for Adam's father's work dinner (I don't know if there is a Hilton in Minnesota but there is now!) and Charlie was explaining new plays in defence to Goldberg and Fulton.

Portman was meant to be listening to Charlie too but he was too distracted. He kept watching the door hoping that his girlfriend would walk in soon. After another heated make out session in Portman's truck the previous night they'd decided that it might be a good idea if they slept in their own dorms. Portman couldn't wait to get his lips on hers again.

"I wonder where Jules is" Fulton's voice in his ear snapped him out of his trance.

"Huh?" Portman responded shaking his head slightly.

"I said where's Jules? Geez man you've been zoning all morning" Fulton replied feeling slightly annoyed that his friend wasn't paying any attention to him, again.

"Sorry dude, nah I dunno where she is" Portman answered finally tearing his eyes away from the door to look at his friend.

"She's been acting strange ever since we got back from Charlie's last night. Do you know what's up?" Fulton continued with a frown. Julie had barely said three words to him as she drove him back to the dorms and she didn't want to hang out with him like she usually did. She told him she had lots of homework to do and she'd talk to him later.

Fulton knew this was a load of crap because Julie always does her homework in her study period on Friday afternoon so that she could have the whole weekend free to do whatever she wanted.

"Nope, can't say I noticed anything. Maybe Allie might know" Portman replied perking up when he saw Allie walk into the cafeteria with Julie.

"Maybe" Fulton frowned again as he watched the two girls in deep conversation as they joined the line for food. Obviously Julie was telling her was what going on and judging by Allie's reaction it was something kinda big.

Fulton couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, Allie had most of Portman's attention and now she was getting Julie's too. He didn't resent her for it or anything because it wasn't like it was her fault but he couldn't help but feel left out when it happened.

Portman on the other hand hadn't noticed that the two girls were having a discussion and was surprised to find Julie glaring at him when he cut in the line and jumped on Allie.

"Hey babe" Allie replied glancing at Julie. She hoped Portman hadn't overheard what Julie was telling her.

"Did I do something wrong Jules?" Portman asked Julie who was wishing the earth would open up and swallow her whole. As much as she loved Portman as a teammate she didn't want him to know what her and Allie were just talking about. Not even Connie knew.

"We were talking" Julie replied softly.

"Anything I should know about" Portman wiggled his eyebrows trying to make the girls laugh.

"Nope, for once Fulton's not in trouble!" Allie joked not giving anything away.

"You guys want me to leave?" Portman asked putting a pout on.

Julie looked at Allie hoping she'd say yes.

Allie read the look in Julie's eyes "As much as I'd love you to stay honey we're having a little girly chat, you know about waxing and make up and stuff you'd really hate to have to listen to" she told him.

"EW! Alright you chicks are on your own" Portman scoffed planting a kiss on his girlfriend's neck before returning to the Ducks table.

"Thanks Allie" Julie said feeling guilty for making her choose between her and her boyfriend.

"It's okay, he'll live" Allie laughed as she saw Portman staring at her. She blew him a kiss before resuming the conversation with Julie.

"So did you say anything to him or were you too chicken shit?"

Julie looked horrified "I'm not chicken shit, its just complicated that's all" she replied.

"Aw it think its so cute. Honestly I thought it was gonna be you and Fulton but Jesse seems like a nice enough guy" Allie replied knowing this was going to set Julie off on a gushing rant.

"Oh he's so nice, really protective too and did you see that smile he's got?" Julie started before a group of Sophomores interrupted them by shoving Allie hard into Julie.

"Watch it whores" a very tall girl with light brown hair snarled at the pair.

"You watch it stretch" Julie replied before Allie could open her mouth.

_Stretch? Nice one Jules_ Allie thought with a smirk.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't" the girl answered as several of her friends started giggling.

Allie glared at the group and immediately recognised the small blond girl that Portman had dated before. She knew what this was all about.

Neither girl answered as Julie reached over and flicked the girls breakfast tray upwards causing her cereal and juice to go all over her expensive looking cream cashmere sweater.

"YOU BITCH!" she yelled as Allie and Julie both lost it. They both had tears streaming down their faces from the laughter

Portman and Fulton immediately jumped out of their seats and flanked Allie and Julie in case any retaliation was going to happen. Of course the other Ducks followed suit, mostly because they were curious to see what they'd done to the girl who was calling Julie a bitch.

"Oops sorry, I guess I'm just a klutz" Julie managed to choke out.

"You're gonna pay for this you stupid jock" the girl replied as her friends rushed to get some paper towels to clean up the mess on her sweater.

"Oh that's going to stain" Danielle mumbled looking up at Portman as she dabbed her friend's sweater. Portman shot her a filthy look and turned his attention back to Allie who was still trying to stifle laughs.

"You girls call _this _the girly stuff I'd hate to listen to?" Portman asked making a big show of wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and nibbling affectionately on her ear.

"Yes, well no we were talking about gross girl stuff before that skank pushed me" Allie replied remembering how this had started. She was pissed at herself for not taking a swing at the girl but Julie's little stunt was definitely way funnier.

"You okay Jules?" Fulton asked placing an arm across Julie's shoulders in a bid to get her attention back.

"Yeah I'm fine, no I'm better than fine" Julie replied imagining that Fulton's arm was Jesse's for a moment or two.

Fulton smiled when he saw the expression on Julie's face. The Cat was back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's up your butt?" Portman asked his friend as Fulton came storming in the room slamming the door and knocking off random things around.

"Julie and I don't want to talk about it" Fulton snapped seeing that Portman wasn't alone in the room. His friend had all the luck with girls.

Allie rolled off of Portman and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Maybe I should leave you two alone" she said softly slipping her feet into her sneakers and standing up.

"I bet you already know about it anyway" Fulton replied feeling a little guilty that he'd caused her to feel uncomfortable.

"Know about what?" Allie replied cryptically. She had a feeling that it was something to do with Julie liking Jesse but she wasn't sure that was what Fulton was mad about. Those two were always fighting about something.

"Know about a certain goalie and a certain preppy fearing non-Eden Hall Duck" Fulton responded looking up to meet her eyes.

"Oh that, did she tell you she liked him?" Allie replied feeling a little sorry for Fulton.

"Liked him? Allie I caught them making out in the hallway!" Fulton exploded at the memory of seeing Julie in a passionate embrace with Jesse.

"Caught Julie making out with who in the hallway?" Portman cut in. he'd understood the part about the certain goalie but he hadn't figured out the second part yet.

"Jesse" Fulton practically yelled.

"WHAT?" Portman screamed back. He'd never guessed that one coming in a million years.

An angry fist banged on their dorm room door.

"Will you lot shut up in there? Some of us are trying to study" an annoyed voice requested.

The trio remained silent for a few seconds and whoever had the nerve to tell the Bashes to shut up was grateful their act of bravado had gone unpunished for now.

"Does Charlie know?" Portman finally asked hoping he wasn't going to have to put up with Charlie cracking a tantrum over it like he did with Adam and Connie.

"Dunno" Fulton replied.

"Well its not like Jesse's on the team anymore so its not really gonna affect anything on the ice" Allie pointed out.

"True but I'm pissed about it!" Fulton blurted out knowing he was now going to have to explain himself and admit that he was crushing on Julie.

"Why? If she's happy then we should be happy for her" Allie said.

"Its more complicated than that" Fulton protested trying to dodge the bullet.

"Why?" Allie asked again. When she got no answer she realised what was really going on.

"Oh" she added finally understanding.

"Yeah, oh" Fulton replied softly.

"Sorry Fult" Allie apologised feeling like an idiot. As if Fulton hadn't had enough things to deal with Hayley he now had lost Julie who was his best friend too.

"Its okay" Fulton replied secretly wondering how was he supposed to act around Julie and Jesse now without letting the cat out of the bag. He had no worries that Allie was going to tell her. He knew she was great at keeping secrets.

"I'm going down to the rink, I'll catch you guys later" Fulton announced suddenly picking up his hockey bag. He needed to distract himself for a while and working on his skating and slap shot would be beneficial in more ways than one.

"Alone again, so what am I going to do with you" Portman asked playfully as he leant closer.

Before Allie could answer there was a knock on the door causing Portman to curse under his breath.

Allie laughed at him "Looks like you're gonna be answering the door"

"I don't have to do I?" Portman pretended to look wounded.

"Fine then I'll answer it" Allie replied getting up.

"No you're not!" Portman leapt forward and tried to jump on her back but Allie anticipated the move and side stepped causing him to land on the floor.

"OW!" Portman groaned as he looked up to see Allie answer the door.

"Hi, is Fulton here?" Julie asked nervously in case Fulton was waiting in there. She didn't know what she was going to say to him after he saw her and Jesse in the hallway. She couldn't get the image of the hurt on his face out of her head.

Allie shook her head "Nope you just missed him"

Julie raised her eyebrows at Allie as she heard someone groan in the room.

"Am I interrupting?" Julie asked.

"No, Portman was just showing me his Batman impersonation" Allie replied swinging the door wide open so that Julie could see Portman sprawled across the floor.

"Hmm interesting" Julie laughing imagining how funny it would have looked to see Portman landing flat on his face like that.

"Speaking of interesting I heard you had a certain 'guest'" Allie teased.

Julie half smiled, half groaned "Yeah, I should really speak to Fulton first"

"He's down at the rink" Portman supplied rubbing his elbow as he finally stood up.

"Thanks Batman" Julie laughed disappearing down the hallway before he had a chance to retaliate.

Allie quickly shut the door before he could yell something down the hallway after Julie.

"Batman?" Portman asked wondering why on earth she'd told Julie he was doing Batman impersonations.

"What?" Allie asked still laughing.

Portman just glared at her.

"What'd you want me to say? He tripped and fell cos he didn't want me to answer the door? Besides Batman sounds so much cooler!"

"You're gonna pay for that you know" Portman tried to hide the grin.

"You have to catch me first" Allie challenged getting ready to run.

………………………………………………………

Fulton found the sounds of his skates gliding on the ice soothing as he passed the penalty box for what seemed like the hundreth time.

He'd been skating for the past half an hour but was finding it relaxing rather than tiring like he did when they skated laps during practice.

He had actually been thinking about the State Pee Wee Championship game against the Hawks and how Tammy Duncan had made skating look so effortless as she started spinning in front of the goal to confuse the Hawks.

He'd stuck up for her and gotten himself thrown out of the game when he flipped McGill over the side of the Hawk's bench. He did it because he had a crush on Tammy at the time.

Fulton started skating harder as he thought about all of the girls he'd ever had a crush on.

First there was Connie in Second Grade but he overheard her telling Charlie that she secretly liked Guy. That was the first time he'd had his heart broken.

Then there was another girl in fourth grade, Emily. She had been too afraid to even look in Fulton's direction as she thought he was a big mean bully. He got over her pretty quickly.

Then there was Tammy Duncan in Pee Wees. It turned out that she liked Fulton back but she loved figure skating more and ended up moving to California with her mother to pursue it further.

There hadn't been anyone he'd had his eye on during the Goodwill Games. Sure he thought Jules was cute but he didn't start crushing on her until recently.

He'd even had a tiny crush on Allie when he first met her but she ended up falling for Portman. Now she was a no-go zone.

Then there was Hayley and she'd actually liked him back for a while until she decided that she liked someone else enough to cheat on Fulton with.

And that brought him to Jules…………..

Fulton's thoughts were cut short by the sound of another pair of skates carving up the ice behind him. He stopped skating and was rewarded with someone crashing into his back.

"Damn it Fult! I was trying to be stealthy" Julie scolded playfully trying to break the ice (no pun intended).

Fulton jumped back as if she'd burned him by her touch.

"Fult?" Julie started. She could see the hurt returning to his face and it made her feel like crying.

"Don't Julie. Just go away" Fulton said softly turning away to resume his skating.

"Fulton please" Julie pleaded.

Fulton ignored her as he pumped his legs harder. He could feel his anger starting to bubble under the surface. If she didn't leave soon then he was sure he was going to say something he'd definitely regret later.

"I'm sorry" Julie whispered as she passed him.

Fulton looked over briefly and saw the tears in her eyes. He couldn't do this to her. She deserved to be happy and he was being a jerk for taking it away from her.

He watched her skate ahead of him for a few seconds as she headed for the entrance to the ice.

He tried to call out to her but he found his voice had choked up. He tried clearing his throat before trying again but it was too late. She'd gone.

"DAMN IT!" Fulton screamed as he punched the glass next to him feeling the pain as he realised he'd forgotten to wear gloves.

The glass didn't break upon impact it merely cracked and there was now a lovely circle of cracked glass with a bit of blood in the centre, Fulton's blood.

The pain in his hand didn't really register as he carelessly wiped his hand on his pants. He no longer felt relaxed on the ice as he recalled the look on Julie's face before she left.

He slowly made his way out of the rink and took the long 'scenic' way back to his dorm room where he was careful not to disturb his roommate who was now fast asleep in his bed, alone.

Fulton glanced at the clock by the nightstand 5:17 am. He hadn't realised he'd been out so late and had arrived just in time for the doors to be unlocked for the athletes who had practice early.

He closed his eyes and all he could see was Julie. All he dreamt about was Julie and it was her name he was calling when his roommate woke him up the next morning.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Howdy Julie are you comin' to breakfast?" Dwayne asked when he spotted his team's starting goalie sitting alone on the lawn outside the main building.

"Howdy Dwayne, nah I've already eaten" Julie lied to ease her friend's worry. If Dwayne even had an inkling that she wasn't eating properly he'd make himself sick with worry, he was a sweetheart like that.

"Well okay then I'll see y'all at practice" Dwayne tipped his hat and made his way to the cafeteria.

Julie stared after the Cowboy lost in thought. How did she get herself into these situations? She'd made a point of only being Fulton's friend purely for the fact that he was a teammate. She learned her lesson after the fiasco when Charlie kissed her. That definitely wouldn't have worked out even if they did like each other like that.

Jesse, on the other hand, was different. Sure he was a Duck but he no longer played with the Ducks which meant that all of Charlie's theories about team dynamics weren't worth shit.

Julie felt the butterflies in her stomach as she remembered how Jesse had come to the dorms looking for her and it ended up in a heat filled kiss.

"_What are you doing here?" Julie asked grinning stupidly. _

"_I came to see you" Jesse replied flashing her the smile she'd gone crazy over the previous day._

"_How come?" Julie asked again starting to feel like an interrogator._

"_I've been thinking a lot about you lately" Jesse took a step forward._

"_Really? Good or bad" Julie responded hoping he was going to say good._

"_What do you think Cat?" Jesse used her nickname as he took her hands in his._

"_I have a confession to make too" Julie took the plunge._

"_Yeah? And what's that?" it was now Jesse's turn to ask the questions._

"_I've been thinking a lot about you too" Julie replied shivering a little as Jesse's hands travelled around her waist gently pressing on her back as he pulled her towards him._

"_Good" Jesse replied as he laid a kiss on her._

_As cheesy as it sounded it was a kiss that had Julie begging for more. It was better than any of the sloppy kisses her sixth grade boyfriend had given her, definitely better than any of Scooters kisses and way better than the steamy kiss Charlie had given her a couple of years ago_

_As they finally pulled away from each other a flash of black caught Julie's attention. Turning to her right she was surprised to see Fulton standing there staring at the pair. Her surprise quickly turned to sorrow when she saw the look on his face, his feelings were on display at that moment and it dawned on her that Fulton liked her more than a friend._

"Julie are you okay?"

Julie was brought out of her daydream to find Hayley standing over her with concern on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine" Julie replied quickly not realising that the tears that had been streaming down her face was giving her away.

"No you're not, you've been crying" Hayley knew she shouldn't really be so worried about someone who didn't like her but Julie was one of Allie's friends and she couldn't just leave her out here like this.

"What? Oh yeah, sorry" Julie replied absently as she used her sleeve to wipe her cheeks.

"You need to talk about it?" Hayley offered half hoping the girl would say no, she had an idea that the problem was Fulton and she was the last person Julie should be talking to about him.

"Thanks but no, I'm fine" Julie said quickly gathering her bag. "Has the bell already gone?" she asked seeing that the lawn was empty.

"Yeah, come on we'll be late" Hayley offered her hand to help Julie to her feet.

Surprisingly Julie accepted.

"Thanks" she said following the cheerleader into the building.

………………………………………………………………………….

"Class if you'll settle down I have your papers graded and ready to hand back" Miss West, the music teacher advised.

"How do you think you went?" Claire asked smugly.

"Okay, it wasn't that hard to figure out the difference between the two styles" Allie replied knowing that Claire was still under the impression that Allie had no idea or talent when it came to music.

"Miss Taylor, excellent work" Miss West handed Allie her paper back. She was thrilled to see the giant 'A' staring back at her.

"Guess it was better than you expected" Claire said sounding somewhat put out. She couldn't believe how easy things came to Allie, she had the looks, the boyfriend, the friends and now she had the grades.

"Yeah I guess" Allie replied wondering what on earth this girl's problem was all of a sudden.

"Now that that's out of the way, I trust you all to be working on your projects, the performances will be held during next Friday's class. I have permission from the Dean to hold them in the auditorium" Miss West announced.

Allie swallowed hard. She had never allowed anyone to hear her music before and she was nervous about it. Sure on paper she was getting As but who knew what she'd get for her performance.

She'd picked a song that described the way she felt about her relationship or lack thereof with Portman when she'd first returned to Eden Hall. Now it barely related to her at all and it was way too late to change it now.

She sat there silently going over the lyrics sheet over and over again trying to drum the words into her head. She'd practice actually singing it later maybe letting Hayley hear it.

Hayley was the only person who'd ever heard her sing properly. Others had head her sing but that was when she used to run and sing at the same time and it probably sounded awful.

"You ready for your performance?" Claire asked trying to read the expression on Allie's face.

"Yeah, are you?" Allie turned the question around on her.

"But of course" Claire replied turning away to work on her own stuff.

Allie rolled her eyes and returned to her lyrics sheet.

……………………………………………………….

"Adam what's with Fulton today? I've never seen him look so low" Connie asked her boyfriend. She'd seen Fulton down in the dumps before but never quite this badly and to be honest it scared her.

Adam shrugged his shoulders "I don't know, I didn't see Julie at breakfast. Maybe they've had another fight"

Connie shook her head "Nah they've fought before but Fulton's never been this bummed about it. Something big is going on and I intend to find out what it is" she vowed.

Adam smiled. As much as people loved to say Connie was nosy, she really was a great friend. She hated seeing her friends down so she goes about getting to the bottom on things to make it all better for them. The Ducks, Linda and Allie were the only ones who really saw her good intentions.

The bell rang signalling the end of the first period. Unfortunately for Adam, Connie and Charlie, Ken and Russ who were all in the same class, they had a double History period and that meant that they were staying put.

"Class I'm taking pity on you this once and sending you out for a ten minute break. Anyone not back by then will be on detention for a week" their teacher Mr Davis warned.

"Perfect! I'm gonna find Fulton" Connie announced hopping up from her chair and kissing Adam on the cheek before rushing out.

"Where's she going in such a hurry?" Charlie asked Adam.

"She's on a mission to find out what's wrong with Fulton" Adam replied.

The others nodded, they had noticed Fulton's depression at the breakfast table too. It was kinda weird since the other day at Charlie's he was all full of smiles and laughter.

"I bet its Julie. Dwayne said she was sitting alone this morning outside" Russ said.

"Probably but Connie's right. He never usually gets so sad after a fight with her" Adam replied thoughtfully. It was weird having one Bash Brother in such a depressing mood and the other one was so ecstatic and happy all of the time lately.

"I'll talk to him after practice" Charlie offered.

"Did I miss anything?" Connie asked running back into the room.

"Fifteen seconds to spare Miss Moreau" Mr Davis informed her.

"Good" Connie replied sitting down next to Adam.

"Did you find him?" Adam asked.

"And beginning in five….four….three….two….one" Mr Davis made his lame joke as Connie shook her head.

"No" she whispered before returning to her History textbook. She silently vowed to catch up with him at lunchtime.


	20. Batman's secrets

"Jules are you hiding?" Allie had to laugh at the sight before her.

Julie was trying her best to avoid being seen by Fulton as she ducked and weaved past students in the hallway.

"Maybe" Julie replied relaxing a little when Allie dragged her into the female bathroom.

"Okay, I know what's going on Fulton told me about you and Jesse in the hallway" Allie started her eyes shining with excitement. She didn't know about the fight or lack thereof in the rink yet.

"Yeah? Did he tell you what happened afterwards?" Julie couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that Fulton would talk about it behind her back, especially to one of her good friends.

"There's more?" Allie asked hoping it was something regarding Jesse but the look on Julie's face told her otherwise.

"I've really hurt him. He wont talk to me now at all" Julie sighed.

Allie's face turned to a frown. She didn't know quite how to respond to that and if Julie didn't know that Fulton was in love with her then Allie wasn't about to tell her and make her feel worse.

"Its more than a fight this time, the look on his face said it all. I think he likes me more than a friend" Julie continued after realising her friend was having trouble answering her.

Allie's face fell a little harder "I know he does. He told me yesterday" she explained softly.

"Argh why is this so hard. I mean I like Jesse, no wait I _really _like Jesse but I don't want to hurt Fulton in the process and I…..I….." Julie stammered not knowing what she was trying to say.

Allie waited to hear the rest of her sentence.

"I just don't know what to do" Julie finally finished.

"Aw come here" Allie stretched her arms out and gave her friend a hug.

Julie collapsed into Allie's arms feeling more and more depressed with each passing second.

"You know what always helps me to clear my head?" Allie broke the silence.

"What?" Julie asked eager to try anything that would help the situation.

"I go for a long run. It really helps you think, probably the fresh air or something" Allie replied feeling a pang of guilt that she hadn't been home to take Bash for a run since she'd returned to Eden Hall over four months ago. She decided on the spot she was going home for the weekend before her father forgot what she looked like.

"Hmmm sounds like it couldn't hurt" Julie said thoughtfully trying to think back to the last time she'd gone running. Oh yeah, when Coach Orion had decided they needed to boost their fitness training and he'd forced them to do the 8 mile track every morning _before_ breakfast for three weeks. The majority of the team had vowed never to run again after that gruelling regime, her included.

"Want some company? I haven't been running for ages and now I'm feeling all lazy" Allie asked knowing that if Julie wanted to be alone she'd just take a different track anyway.

"Sure, I'll see you after school" Julie replied splashing her face with cold water to freshen up.

"Catch ya then" Allie replied leaving the bathroom.

………………………………………………………….

"Fulton wait up!" Connie yelled through the crowd of students all eager to get to lunch.

Fulton turned around and spotted the brunette running towards him.

"Oh great" he muttered under his breath as he plastered the best fake smile he could muster.

"Hey Connie" he greeted as she came up beside him.

"Hey Fult, I've been wanting to talk to you" Connie started.

_This cannot be good_ Fulton thought

"About what?" he replied playing it cool.

"You've been looking so sad lately is everything okay?" Connie asked showing genuine concern for her friend and teammate.

"I'm fine, just tired I guess" Fulton replied lamely.

Connie looked hard at him "Are you sure? I'm here if you need to talk"

_What was it with chicks and wanting to talk? _He'd had enough talking with Allie and Portman the other day and he was through talking with Julie, it only ended up in an argument and then he felt even worse than he had before.

"Nah I'm good, you coming to lunch?" Fulton hoped that would get her off of his back.

Connie nodded deciding to let it go for the moment. She knew it wouldn't be easy but she would crack the Bash Brother if it were the last thing she did.

Fulton and Connie entered the cafeteria and Fulton was immediately aware of the looks that Adam, Charlie and Russ were giving Connie. They obviously knew about her mission to talk to him about _why he was so sad_.

He scowled and took his seat next to Portman who surprisingly enough was by himself.

"Where's your chick?" Fulton asked.

Portman shrugged "Dunno, haven't seen her since this morning"

"Hey Batman" Julie approached the table and took a seat next to Dwayne who looked happy she was joining them for lunch.

"That's it I'm going to kill my girlfriend" Portman declared loud enough for the rest of the table to hear.

Several puzzled faces stared at him and Dwayne just looked purely horrified. Julie on the other hand was laughing.

"Batman?" Fulton asked Portman when the interest had died down. He wasn't about to ask Julie.

"Allie told Julie I was doing Batman impersonations which by the way I wasn't" Portman explained directing the last half of the sentence towards Julie.

"Yeah I gathered you were just doing something completely stupid like, say, trying to prevent Allie from answering the door" Julie replied laughing when she saw Portman's mouth hang open.

"She told you that?" he almost whispered.

Julie shook her head "No the walls and doors of the dorms are paper thin and I heard everything" she explained simply.

"Hey guys" Allie called greeting the table as she searched for an empty seat.

"Hey Allie" the Ducks chorused.

"Allie you'd better sit here, Portman was just saying he was going to kill you" Julie moved over allowing her to have the seat next to Dwayne.

"Batman?" Allie asked Julie.

"Yep" Julie nodded and both girls burst out laughing.

"Man I love my evil mind sometimes" Allie commented to Julie.

"Baby I only love your evil mind when it's focused on torturing someone else" Portman pouted.

Even Fulton cracked a smile at that. Portman was hilarious when he was acting like a baby.

"Aw poor baby, anyway what's this I hear about you wanting to kill me huh?" Allie teased.

"I was just kidding" Portman protested recognising that glint in her eye. Crap, he was in for it now.

"Its okay, I'll forgive you" Allie replied smirking when she saw Portman relax. She had him right where she wanted him.

"For now" she added grinning when she saw his face fill with worry. She wasn't actually going to do anything to him but it was amusing seeing him squirm like that.

"Julie, wanna come shopping with me after school?" Connie asked from down the other end of the table.

Julie shook her head "I can't today Cons, I'm going running with Allie"

"Oh okay, some other time then" Connie tried not to look too disappointed. She'd wanted to get Julie alone for a while to ask what was going on with her. She felt left out since Julie was spending so much time either with Fulton and/or Allie. It was like she didn't have much time for Connie anymore.

"How about tomorrow?" Julie suggested feeling guilty that she'd blown Connie off again.

"Yeah okay" Connie brightened up a little.

"Allie you wanna come?" Julie turned to Allie.

Allie stole a glance at Connie and saw her face drop slightly. It was obvious Connie wanted some alone time with Julie.

"Sorry girls I can't, I have this thing with Portman tomorrow" she said kicking Portman under the table when she saw him open his mouth to question.

Portman closed his mouth again glad that she was only wearing flip flops and not boots.

"Is that all you're gonna eat?" Portman pointed to Allie's tray which consisted of half a sandwich, an apple and a bottle of water.

"Yep, I'm going running later" Allie replied.

Portman wasn't understanding "So?" he asked.

"So, its not as effective if you're hunched over the bushes throwing your lunch back up every five minutes" Allie explained wondering why Portman was taking an interest in what she was eating. She would be the last person on earth to have an eating disorder. She loved food way too much.

"Okay" he replied satisfied with her answer. He was relieved to discover she wasn't about to turn all psycho dieter on him. His last five girlfriends were fanatic about what they put in their mouths and it drove him nuts, especially when all they'd ask him was if he thought they were fat.

Allie and Julie exchanged glances and even Fulton and Dwayne raised their eyebrows. Portman was definitely acting a little weird today.

………………………………………………………………

"You okay hun?" Allie asked later that evening as she lay outside on a blanket next to Portman. They were watching the stars.

"No, not really" Portman replied needing to tell someone what was going on.

Allie sat up and faced her boyfriend. "What is it?" she asked grabbing his hand.

Portman hesitated arguing with himself as to whether he should burden her with his problems or not but finally decided that she had a right to know.

"I got a call from Chicago today, my dad…..he um" Portman didn't know how to get it out. How do you tell someone something so huge?

"Its okay, take your time" Allie stroked his hand reassuring him that whatever it was it couldn't be that bad.

"My dad was arrested on fraud charges, they reckon he was squandering money out of his company" Portman explained gently. He was still in shock about it himself.

"I'm sorry baby" Allie comforted moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug.

Portman placed his head on her chest.

"I just don't know where this'll leave my mom and sister. Will they be in trouble too?" Portman wasn't too worried about his dad. He was the biggest jerk that ever lived but it was his mom he felt sorry for.

"I doubt it, I mean your mom wasn't involved in the company was she?" Allie asked realising how little she knew about Portman's family.

Portman shook his head "Nah, dad had his army of brainless skanky secretaries to run everything he didn't"

"Well then I don't think she has anything to worry about, aside from her husband going to jail" Allie replied feeling stupid. This was Dean's father she was talking about.

"He can rot in there for all I care. I hope mom can realise what a lying, cheating asshole he is and divorce his sorry ass"

Allie looked at him in shock at his outburst. So there was more to this story than he was telling her.

"My dad is the President of Port Printing" Portman said not meeting her eyes. He waited for the reaction.

"Are you kidding me? You're the heir to the largest printing business in the Country?" Allie didn't question as to why he didn't say anything before, she understood completely for she hated anyone knowing she was the daughter of the wealthiest architect in the Country

Portman nodded. The reaction hadn't been as hostile as he'd feared.

"Cake-eater" she laughed trying to lighten the mood a little.

"You're lucky I love you otherwise you'd be in so much trouble for that" Portman replied knowing she wasn't serious, she was just trying to make him laugh.

"Awww well isn't this sweet?" a snide voice cut into their conversation.

Allie and Portman looked up to see the very same girl that Julie had juiced the other day in the cafeteria.

"What the hell's your problem?" Portman wasn't in the mood for any of Danielle's bitchy friends tonight. He'd been putting up with them badmouthing him ever since he'd broken up with her and he didn't really care, all he cared about was the Ducks and Allie.

"You're my problem you asshole, do you really think you'll get away with what you've done?" she asked.

Allie and Portman exchanged amused glances. This girl was nuts.

"What he's done, he did your friend a favour by dumping her and saving her from further embarrassment. When are you gonna get over it, we have" Allie replied starting to feel annoyed.

"I wasn't talking to you slut" the girl glared at Allie.

Allie stood up but was quickly subdued by Portman.

"Yeah you better keep your bitch back" the girl continued as Allie struggled against Portman. He was having difficulty holding on to her and he had half a mind to just let Allie punch her and be done with it.

"It's not her I'm worried about, I don't want to have to take you to hospital when she's finished, her left hook is particularly nasty" Portman advised.

"Damn it Portman let me go!" Allie yelled wanting a piece of this cow.

"She's not worth it baby" Portman tried kissing her neck, a tactic he knew would calm her down.

"I hate you right now" Allie laughed realising what he was doing.

"No you don't you love me" Portman teased continuing to leave kissed along her neck.

"Mmmm" was the response he got.

"Don't you have better things to do than watch me make out with my girlfriend?" Portman challenged the girl who was turning red with embarrassment. Her aim had been to create a rift between the pair but it looks like it would be tougher than that.

The girl said nothing as she turned on her heel and walked off leaving the pair alone again.

"You calm yet?" Portman asked after a couple of minutes of kissing.

"I might need a bit more time" Allie replied slyly.

"That could be arranged" Portman replied laying another kiss on her nose.

"How about you, are you feeling better?" Allie turned the tables on him.

Portman nodded "Yeah I feel better now that I've told you, but I don't want the others knowing, none of them have any clue that my parents have money. Not even Fulton knows"

"I wont say anything, I promise" Allie replied laying back down.

Portman lay beside her "This is so cool" he replied looking up at the sky.

"What's so cool?" Allie asked.

"This, you, me, the stars, no Fulton whinging, no Julie sulking, its fucking awesome" Portman smiled into the night.

"Yeah it is" Allie admitted snuggling closer into his chest.

They stayed there for a while staring up at the sky every now and then one of them would plant a kiss on the other one.

It wasn't until Allie noticed Portman shaking that she knew things weren't alright for him.

"Baby? What is it?" she asked lifting her head in time to see him rub his eyes.

"Just thinking about mom, that's all" Portman said sadly.

"She'll be okay, why don't you call her tomorrow?" Allie suggested knowing it would be too late to use the phones now.

Portman nodded "Yeah maybe, still doesn't change the fact that she's alone in the apartment with my sister, what if someone tries to hurt them?"

Allie looked at him, he wasn't thinking of leaving was he?

"Does the apartment have security?" Allie asked feeling very afraid. She'd just gotten him back and now she might lose him again.

"Yeah but……oh I don't know" Portman sighed in exasperation.

"Come on, lets go" Allie grabbed his hand and dragged him to his feet. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Baby will you…." Portman started to ask before she cut him off.

"I was going to anyway" she smiled at him. No way was she going to leave him when he needed her most.

"Thanks" Portman whispered opening the door to the dorms for her.

They found Fulton fast asleep in his bed. He must have been exhausted from the lack of sleep the previous nights.

Portman handed her some clothes to sleep in. They definitely weren't going to do anything tonight. He stripped down to a pair of shorts and a singlet before joining her in bed.

This time the roles were reversed, it was him who lay his head on her chest as she stroked his hair, reassuring him that everything would be okay.

……………………………………………………………………..

"Portman dude wake up!" Fulton shook Portman trying to wake him up, he hadn't noticed that Portman wasn't alone yet.

"I'm awake, I'm awake! What the fuck do you want?" Portman asked grumpily.

"Dude I think your mom's here" Fulton explained. There'd been a knock on the door earlier and Fulton answered it to the Dean asking for Portman as he had a visitor.

"What?" Portman was now wide awake, he flung his arm up exposing Allie asleep beside him.

"Oh sorry dude I didn't know she was here" Fulton apologised turning away quickly before he saw anything he shouldn't.

"Dude, she's got clothes on, what do you think we are?" Portman scolded. As if he'd have sex in the same room as his friend. It was disrespectful.

"You'd better go find Dean Buckley" Fulton advised before adding, "I'll tell her where you are if she wakes up"

"Thanks man" Portman replied throwing the pants he was wearing last night over his shorts and grabbing a hoodie which actually belonged to Allie. It was a "Tool" one so it looked male anyway.

…………………………………………………………………………

Portman ran down to the Dean's office hoping it was his mom that was there, it meant she was safe.

"Dean! I've been hoping you'd come down soon" his mother greeted him with a warm hug and a kiss to the cheek.

"Hey mom" Portman replied hoping no one saw it. How embarrassing!

"Deanie I've just been chatting with your girlfriend, lovely girl she is" Mrs Portman gushed.

Portman looked thoroughly confused "Allie? But she's asleep in…" he paused before he let it slip that she was asleep in his bed right now "her dorm room" he quickly finished.

"Nonsense, she's just been in here and introduced herself. She's quite pretty too" Mrs Portman replied giving Portman an odd look.

"Whatever, so what are you doing here mom?" Portman asked.

"Well with your father in so much trouble I thought I'd bring Sarah and myself out here, change of scenery might do us good and we'll get to see more of you" Mrs Portman announced.

"That's great!" Portman replied genuinely happy. With his mom and sister in Minnesota he would be able to keep a close eye on them.

"Oh look Deanie here's your girlfriend now" Mrs Portman said as Portman turned around was horrified to see Danielle coming up to them.

"Mom, she's not my girlfriend" Portman hissed. Boy this chick was delusional.

"Dean that's no way to talk to girls. I'm sorry about him dear" Mrs Portman apologised.

"That's okay Andrea" Danielle replied snaking her arm around Portman's waist. _What she was on first name basis with his mother now?_

_Oh boy if Allie saw this one there'd be bloodshed for sure_ Portman thought as he wriggled away from Danielle's grip.

"Danielle, we're over and have been for ages. I love Allie don't you get that?" Portman didn't mean to raise his voice as loud as he did.

"But why Portman? Why?" Danielle pleaded convinced that if she could just make him see she was perfect for him than everything would be fine.

"Because I don't love you, I never loved you. We only went out for what two weeks?" Portman replied ignoring the glare his mother was giving him.

"How can you say that? What has she got that I don't?" Danielle begged.

Portman didn't have to think too hard about this answer "My heart" he replied honestly knowing he sounded like an idiot. Even his mother was shocked.

"She didn't have it before we went out" Danielle thought she had a valid point. She didn't realise that Portman had been with Allie during Freshman year.

"Yes she did, she's had it ever since I first laid eyes on her Freshman year" Portman explained.

"Oh" Danielle said softly finally backing away. She realised what a fool she'd just made of herself and ran off.

"Deanie, what was that all about?" his mother asked feeling disappointed that the nice girl wasn't Dean's girlfriend at all. She wondered what kind of girl he was with. She couldn't be good if Danielle didn't like her.

"Nothing mom, she couldn't understand that it was over, that's all" Portman said softly hanging his head. He knew what his mother was like. If she liked Danielle then she would stop at nothing to ensure that they were together. Danielle had ruined any chance that Allie had of impressing her.

"Nonsense its over, she's such a nice girl" Mrs Portman continued. Portman felt like banging his head against the wall, there was no point trying to reason with her now.

"Whatever, where's Sarah?" Portman asked changing the subject.

"At the rink of course" Mrs Portman couldn't believe her son would ask such a question. Ever since she was born all Sarah wanted to do was be just like her big brother. The girl was eight now and ice hockey was all she was interested in, especially anything to do with the Ducks, Anaheim or Eden Hall.

"Yep, where else would she be? Can I go see her?" Portman asked hopefully. He hadn't seen his little sister since Christmas break.

"Of course" his mother was pleased that her son wanted to spend time with his sister. They headed to the rink. Portman would just have to catch up with Allie later.

……………………………………………………………………

"Bear!" Portman yelled out to his baby sister who had wasted no time in making the most of the empty ice rink at Eden Hall.

"Bean!" Sarah yelled back skating furiously over to the entrance where Dean was waiting for her.

"Man you've grown!" Portman teased her as he helped her off the ice.

Sarah looked up at him with the trademark Portman grin "Told you I was gonna grow taller than you!" she retorted making her way to a bench to take her skates off.

"You've still got a few years to catch up" Portman laughed at how proud his 9 year old sister beamed at that comment.

"Wanna come hang out with the Ducks later?" Portman asked knowing what the answer would be. Ever since he'd returned from the Goodwill Games Sarah had constantly asked him when could she meet the Ducks.

"Yeah!" her eyes lit up at the prospect of finally getting to meet the Ducks.

"Cool I'll come get you after practice" Portman promised before his mother cut in.

"Dean isn't it time you went to class?" she asked sternly. She knew her son was going to try and wriggle his way out of it.

"Oh come on mom, cant I just skip this once? I haven't seen Bear for months" Portman pleaded hoping she'd agree. Surely she wouldn't deny him some quality time with his sister would she?

"No sir, I'm not having your grades slipping, you know you'll be riding the pine pony" his mom replied sounding scarily like Coach Orion.

"Fine, I'll go. Can you bring Bear back at 3.30? I'll ask Coach if she can watch practice" Portman knew this would keep Sarah overbearingly excited for the rest of the day and it would annoy the hell out of him mom.

"Please mommy please?" Sarah asked bouncing up and down on the spot

Mrs Portman sighed in exasperation. Her son knew how to get back at her for not letting him get her own way. "Fine!" she replied "Have a good day at school" she added kissing Portman on the cheek.

"You behave mister" Sarah mocked pointing her finger at him. Portman laughed, if hockey didn't pan out for her then she'd definitely have a career in comedy.

"Bye Bear" Portman replied watching his mother and sister walk out of the building.

……………………………………………

"Morning Sunshine" Fulton greeted Allie when she finally opened her eyes.

"Fulton?" she replied groggily. She remembered going to sleep in Dean's bed the previous night but he was nowhere to be seen.

"His mom's here" Fulton said before she had a chance to ask.

"Good" Allie replied knowing how worried Portman had been about her.

"You'd better hurry up, class is in ten minutes" Fulton replied slightly amused as Allie looked at the clock next to her and swore under her breath.

She hastily threw the covers off of her and Fulton tried not to stare as she emerged from the bed wearing a pair of Portman's boxer shorts and an old t-shirt. He never really noticed how long her legs were before.

He turned around as she picked up her clothes from the previous day.

She whipped the boxers off and threw her jeans on not really caring that they now had wrinkles from being thrown in a heap.

She grabbed one of Portman's black singlets not caring that it was too big for her. As long as she wasn't flashing anything she wasn't meant to it was all good.

She searched around for her hoodie but couldn't find it.

"Damn, where is it?" she wondered aloud.

Fulton turned around to find her almost dressed.

"Whatchya lost?" he asked curiously.

"My tool hoodie, have you seen it?" she asked.

Fulton nodded "Yeah Portman stole it this morning"

"Crap!" Allie exclaimed before searching through Portman's closet for something to wear.

She ended up with a red polo shirt that said "Team USA" on it. She put it on and found it fitted better than she'd hoped. Obviously Portman had been a bit smaller back then.

"God I haven't seen one of those things for ages! You should have seen the crappy tracksuits they gave us" Fulton laughed at the memory of those hideous outfits Hendrix Hockey made them wear.

"Oh I've seen them, they were atrocious. Julie actually still has the jacket" Allie laughed.

"Yeah I know" Fulton said softly.

The pair stood silent for a moment each knowing how awkward the situation between Fulton and Julie were.

"We'd better go or we'll be late" Fulton replied.

"Yeah I'll talk to you later" Allie replied racing off down the hall. She had English and she had to go to her locker before class. Of course it had to be on the other side of the school and she had three minutes to get there.

………………………………………………………………….

"Nice hair" Adam tried not to laugh when Allie burst through the room puffing.

"Huh?" Allie replied still thinking about getting to class on time. It hadn't sunk in she'd arrived.

Adam stole another glance at what was possibly the worlds worst ponytail ever. The bulk of it was still in the band but the front and side bits had been pulled free hanging around her face. It was obvious she hadn't even brushed her hair this morning.

"Oh!" Allie finally realised what he was talking about. She hastily pulled the band out and finger combed the strands, putting it all back up off her face. It wasn't perfect but it was a vast improvement.

It was then Adam saw the shirt.

"Nice shirt, I have one just like it" he laughed. He knew the shirt belonged to Portman.

"Don't get me started. First Portman stole my hoodie this morning, then Fulton only decides to wake me up with 10 minutes to spare and lastly this was all I could find that was clean!" Allie replied indicating the shirt.

"Fulton woke you up? Is he back with Hayley?" Adam asked not realising Allie had actually spent the night in Portman and Fulton's dorm room.

"Huh? No" Allie replied.

"Hmm" Adam mused before smacking himself in the forehead "Oh right, I'm a bit slow today aren't I" he laughed.

"You're not the only one" Allie replied looking at something by the door.

Adam looked up to see Danielle glaring in Allie's direction through the glass.

"You'd think she'd be over it by now" Adam nudged Allie to get her attention back. He had a feeling if Danielle didn't go away soon Allie would get up and slam the shit out of her.

"I know, one of her stupid friends came up to us last night trying to be all bitchy. Portman got her with this brilliant comment. It was hilarious" Allie laughed at the memory.

"Quieten down" the teacher called for the class' attention.

Allie and Adam stopped talking and looked at her.

"If you'll get your books out and turn to page 134 we can begin" the teacher instructed.

Allie and Adam did as they were asked settling in for what was going to be a long day.


	21. Delusional Females

"Allie!" Portman called through the sea of students making their way to lunch.

She didn't hear him as she kept walking towards the cafeteria.

"Move!" Portman ordered several people as he shoved his way through the crowd desperate to catch up to her.

"Allie!" he yelled again.

This time she heard him as she turned around and was slammed hard into the row of lockers by a group of guys.

"Sorry" one of them called as they passed her.

"Its okay" Allie replied rubbing her shoulder.

"Watch where you're going" Portman yelled after them.

"Hey we said sorry" one of the boys protested.

"Portman, leave it. I'm okay" Allie scolded accepting the hug he was offering.

"Nice shirt" Portman looked down and realised she was wearing one of his old Team USA polo shirts.

"Yeah I know, someone broke into your room and stole my hoodie. Oh look you're wearing it!" Allie laughed.

"Sorry, I had to leave quickly this morning" Portman apologised leading her back into the crowd.

"Its okay, Fulton said your mom was here" Allie smiled when she felt Portman grab her hand.

Portman's eyes lit up "Yeah mom and Sarah are moving here, how cool is that? Means I wont have to go back to Chicago for the Summer. I can stay here with you" he replied in an almost giddy tone.

"Who's Sarah? Is that your sister?" Allie asked remembering Portman had mentioned something about having a sister.

"Yeah, she's coming to the Ducks practice later on. She's really excited about it" Portman continued in the same tone.

Allie almost burst out laughing. She had to admit it was really weird seeing Portman so excited about something. It was a nice change from his depressed mood the other day.

Allie was taken aback when Portman suddenly stopped and grabbed her shoulders bringing her in for one of the most passionate kisses he's ever given her.

Allie smiled when they pulled apart "Wow what was that for?" she asked.

Portman glanced to his right "Just reaffirming to a particular person that _you_ are my girlfriend"

Allie glanced over to where Portman had just been looking and saw Danielle standing there with her mouth hanging open.

"What's she been doing now?" Allie asked wondering why Portman cared so much about what this girl thought.

"Um you'd better get away from her for this. I have a feeling you'll rip her arms off and beat her with them" Portman whispered leading Allie outside.

"Can we get food first?" Allie asked staring longingly at the lunch line. She was starving after that brutal English lesson.

Portman laughed "Yeah alright"

They got in line and waited for their lunch.

"Ew that looks disgusting" Allie whispered to Portman when she saw what was being served. It looked like a giant pile of lumpy grey mush.

"What the hell is that?" Portman whispered back looking for the sign that told students what the special was.

"Tuna Surprise! That's really gross" he answered his own question.

Allie decided to forego the tuna and grabbed a sandwich and a pudding. Portman decided even he wasn't game enough to eat it and got the same as Allie.

They passed the Ducks table and Portman announced to them that they were going outside. The Ducks decided that they were going to come too and they all headed out to the front lawn of the school.

Portman decided it would be a good thing if the Ducks found out at the same time as Allie about what Danielle had told his mother that morning. There would be more hands to restrain Allie when she wanted to go and beat the crap out of Danielle. She was hard to control when she got mad as he found out the other night when she wanted to hit that friend of Danielles.

"So what's the big occasion?" Averman asked pushing his glasses up. He looked up at Portman expectantly.

"Oh you guys may as well know whats going on" Portman started pulling Allie into his lap.

"Oooh sounds big!" Connie replied leaning forward slightly. Julie and Adam gave each other a smirk. Connie was a big sucker for gossip.

"Well my mom came here this morning. She and my little sister are moving to Minnesota" Portman announced beaming.

"That's great man!" Charlie replied. He felt that as the leader of the Ducks he should at least say something.

"Yeah" the others agreed.

"Okay now the other thing and guys get ready to restrain this one" he pointed at Allie who gave him a _"what the hell?"_ look.

"Um well Danielle told my mom that she was my girlfriend and my mom believed her. What's worse is that my mom likes her" Portman replied wrapping his arms around Allie to stop her from moving.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Allie yelled causing several Ducks to jump. Averman and Luis looked petrified of her. They'd never seen her get so angry before.

"Its okay baby I set her straight immediately" Portman tried calming her down.

"That's not what I'm pissed about" Allie replied through clenched teeth.

"What a bitch!" Connie blurted out. Adam recognised the steely look in her eyes. She only got that way when she was mad.

"I'm gonna go sort her out" Linda was fuming also.

"No you're not" Charlie grabbed a hold of his girlfriend.

"Let me go Charlie!" Linda protested.

Portman was glad that he brought the Ducks along.

"Portman why did you always pick the crazy ones? Well not you Allie but that Danielle is positively psycho" Goldberg asked.

Portman shot Goldberg a filthy look. He knew this was his entire fault.

"But you're mom's moving here, that's great!" Ken tried to steer the conversation back to the good bit.

"Don't change the subject Ken!" Julie spat out. She was furious at Danielle too.

"If I see her I'm going to rip her fucking throat out" Allie threatened scaring most of the Ducks at how serious she looked.

"She's not worth it Allie" Fulton patted her arm trying to sound soothing.

"No but it'll be worth seeing her squirm" Connie answered. The other girls agreed.

Fulton let out an exasperated sigh. Now they had four girls to calm down rather than one.

"Oh guys I told my sister that she could come to practice. That's okay right?" Portman tried his luck at changing the subject. As much as he wanted Danielle away from him, Allie going to jail for murder wasn't worth it.

"Yeah man that's cool" Charlie said quickly. The males Ducks agreed. The girls weren't paying attention.

"Do you think her head will explode if you squeezed it hard enough?" the male Ducks were horrified to hear Julie ask.

"Hopefully" Allie replied. She wasn't usually this bitchy but she was so mad at the lengths Danielle would go to.

"We should lure her into the workshop and stick her head in the vice, see if it works" Connie suggested. The four girls laughed as the boys watched them in shock.

"You're kidding right?" Adam was brave enough to ask.

The girls all stared at him as if he'd just sprouted a second head.

The bell rang before the girls could answer.

"I'll see you guys later" Allie called as she stood up and gave Portman quick kiss on the forehead. "Have a good practice" she whispered as if everything was normal.

Portman stared after her as she calmly walked back into the building. The other girls followed suit.

"Remind me never to piss any of them off. I like my head in one piece" Averman spoke up watching the girls leave.

"Don't worry they're not going on a murderous rampage" Charlie tried reassuring before adding quietly "at least I hope not"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danielle had wisely managed to stay out of Allie's way for the rest of the day. She had earned an ear bashing from both Connie and Linda when they saw her heading to class but she was glad it wasn't anything physical.

She spotted Portman walking towards the office and decided to talk to him instead.

"Hi" Danielle ran up along side of him.

"What do you want?" Portman snapped not in the mood for her games.

"You" she replied simply flashing him a smile. It was the smile he used to say he loved.

"Well you can't have me" Portman replied wondering whether he should have just let his girlfriend tear strips of off her. At least she might leave him alone then.

"I always get what I want" Danielle tried her hand at sounding seductive. She ran her fingertips along his arm for effect.

"Will you just go away? Find some other poor bastard to harass" Portman hissed removing her hand from his arm.

"But I don't want anyone else, I want you" Danielle wasn't getting the message.

_This is getting ridiculous_ Portman thought trying to work out how to put an end to it without getting anyone into trouble.

He spotted his mother and sister waiting for him outside Dean Buckley's office.

"I've gotta go now for the last time, stay away from me" Portman said firmly as he walked towards his family.

He smiled when he saw Sarah jumping up and down on the spot chatting excitedly to their mother. She had the same brown eyes as Dean did except she had her mother's straight hair whereas Dean inherited his father's curly hair.

"Bean! Its about time!" Sarah yelled down the hallway ignoring her mother's warning to be quiet.

"Sorry got held up" Portman apologised dropping his hockey bag.

"Come on lets go!" Sarah tugged on his hand.

"Are you coming mom?" Portman asked.

His mother shook her head "I have an appointment with the real estate agent. A rather nice house has come onto the market on the other side of town, take care of your sister, I might be late" she explained before taking off down the hall.

Portman sighed, his mother never really showed much of an interest in his hockey. She hadn't even seen one game, not even during the Goodwill Games when her only son was representing his country.

"Come on!" Sarah was getting impatient.

"Alright!" Portman laughed picking up his hockey bag. He lead her out of the building to head for the rink.

"I saw you with that girl again, are you sure she's not your girlfriend?" Sarah teased as they walked.

"NO! she's the most annoying person I've ever met, next to you of course" Portman teased back. Sarah loved it when he called her annoying.

"Good! Why does she keep trying to touch you then?" Sarah asked. She'd noticed that the girl kept trying to grab her brother's hand or hug him whenever she got within a foot of him.

"Cos she's psycho. She'd better not cross Allie otherwise she'll be in big trouble" Portman was half thinking aloud.

"Who's Allie?" Sarah asked intrigued.

"My real girlfriend. You'll actually like her. She's really cool" Portman smiled.

"If you're her boyfriend then I doubt she's that cool!" Sarah replied cheekily. She loved teasing her older brother about girls, it always got a rise out of him.

"Watch it shorty" Portman warned as they reached the rink. He had to laugh at the unconvincing glare she was giving him.

"I'm not that short. I'm taller than most boys my age" Sarah protested. It was true; she had their father's height just like Dean did.

"Yeah except I'm seven years older than you so that makes me bigger!" Portman laughed opening the door for her.

"Yeah a bigger jerk" Sarah muttered under her breath.

Portman stopped and stared at her. When did his little sister gain such a sarcastic vocabulary?

"C'mon Portman you're late" Coach Orion barked as he emerged from his office.

"Coach, this is my little sister Sarah. Is it okay if she watches practice? The other guys have agreed to it" Portman introduced his sister who stared up at Coach Orion in awe.

"Hey I know you! Didn't you play for the Stars a few years ago?" Sarah's eyes glowed with recognition.

"Yes" Coach replied surprised that a girl her age would recognise him.

"She's a bigger hockey nut than Charlie and Adam combined" Portman explained.

Coach Orion nodded "Portman on the ice in five" he ordered.

"You" he pointed at Sarah "Come with me" he led her towards the rink.

"Yes Sir!" Sarah cried happily as she followed Coach Orion to the rink.

_Averman's gonna love her_ Portman thought as he recognised the same level of humour in her sentences as he saw in Avermans.

He watched the pair enter the rink before he moved on to the locker room to get changed for practice.

………………………………………………………………………….

"Hey that sounds really good, you should perform when you're mad!" Hayley sat on her bed watching Allie.

"Okay just leave that bitch by the door before I go on stage" Allie laughed feeling a little better after she'd exploded to her best friend. Hayley had, nevertheless, been stunned at what Danielle had been doing.

"Are you nervous?" Hayley asked. She knew Allie had never done anything like this in front of people before.

Allie nodded "Yeah but I'm trying not to think about that" she replied. She hadn't even told Portman about the performance yet. She knew he would only want to come and see it and she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"Ah don't worry about it, if you sounded even half as good as you did then you'll be fine, no you'll be better than fine!" Hayley replied truthfully. Allie was going to knock the music snobs dead tomorrow.

Allie nodded hoping Hayley was right.

"So what did the other girls actually say to that nasty ho?" Hayley asked trying to change the subject. She'd heard that Connie and Linda had bailed Danielle up after lunch and gave her a good 'talking to'.

"I'm not sure but I heard it was really bad, we'll ask Linda when she gets back" Allie glanced at their other roommate's empty bed wondering momentarily where her friend was.

"Wanna go through it again?" Hayley asked sensing that Allie was starting to get bored with all the talk about Danielle.

"Yeah may as well" Allie replied picking up her music book again. The more practice she got the better she'll feel tomorrow.

"Do we have to go to this thing?" Portman asked gruffly admiring his new jacket.

Coach Orion had surprised them at the previous nights practice by issuing them with their Varsity Lettermen Jackets. They were now officially the cream of the crop in Eden Hall's hockey world.

"Dean Buckley reckons that it'll look better for the school if the _State Champions are seen supporting their fellow students_" Julie mimicked Dean Buckley's speech from yesterday.

"I wish Allie could come too. Then at least it'd be interesting" Portman pouted. He hadn't seen his girlfriend since lunch yesterday and he was anxious to show off his jacket to her. His sister had absolutely fallen in love with it.

"Yeah and you'd both be on detention for making out in the audience" Julie pointed out laughing. Things between her and Fulton were starting to get a little better but she hadn't seen Jesse since he visited her over a week ago.

"Come on guys quit bitching, at least we get out of lessons" Charlie spoke up.

"Yeah!" the others agreed with a smile. Getting out of class was always a welcome thing.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Connie asked. She'd been appointed by Dean Buckley to ensure that the team made their way to the auditorium in time for the little 'concert' that was happening that afternoon.

"Yes Miss Connie" Averman answered sounding like a little kid answering his school teacher.

"Lester don't make me line you guys up" Connie threatened using his first name.

Averman winced at the use of _Lester_. He hated it. He'd told the teachers at his elementary and middle schools his name was 'Dave' cos he thought it sounded better but because of the Junior Goodwill Games, everyone now knew his name was actually Lester Averman.

"Yeah come on _Lester!_" Portman hooted slapping Averman on the back.

"Ow! Be careful with the merchandise!" Averman joked.

"Guys lets go already!" Connie put her foot down. They were hopeless to get organised sometimes.

"We're coming!" Fulton pushed the others into line.

The Ducks entered the auditorium glad to find that three rows of seats had been reserved for them. They sat down in any order they felt like glaring at the ever so annoying JV team who were seated across the aisle from them.

"Dude my mom's here" Portman nudged Fulton and pointed to the lady sitting with Dean Buckley.

"That's your mom? Why's she sitting with the Dean?" Fulton replied staring at the lady in the expensive looking navy blue business suit. It suddenly occurred to him that he'd never really heard Portman talk about his family or his life in Chicago.

"Beats me, I hope she's not gonna become one of those PTA moms" Portman groaned.

"If I could have your attention please…." The person acting as MC started and the Ducks snapped to attention for a change. They felt rather important in their new lettermen jackets.

………………………………………………………….

"Okay I think I'm gonna throw up" Allie complained as Hayley fiddled with her hair. She'd heard the rumble of people on the other side of the curtain and was surprised to see the auditorium almost full of students and parents.

Needless to say it hadn't done her nerves any good.

"You'll be fine, you're awesome!" Hayley tried to reassure her friend as she ran the straightening iron through her friends hair.

"Easy for you to say, you get to stay back here and not be seen" Allie replied "Or heard!" she added.

"Allie?" the music teacher butted in.

Allie and Hayley turned to look at her

"You're up next, good luck" she finished.

"Oh great!" Allie turned to Hayley once the teacher was out of earshot.

"Relax! Okay there you're all done" Hayley announced putting the iron down.

Allie glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked like your average preppy student in a pair of black suit pants and a fitted cream shirt. At least Hayley had fixed her hair so she actually looked decent.

"Up next we have a talented musician from our Junior class, please welcome Allie Taylor"

Allie heard her name being called and after a quick hug from Hayley she proceeded to walk onto the stage.

_Holy shit!_ She was dying on the inside. This was going to be harder than she thought.

She'd organised some kids in her music class to act as her band. After paying them $50 each they'd enthusiastically learned the song she was about to sing.

Signalling to the band to start she picked up the microphone and waited for the intro………..

_Is it getting better   
Or do you feel the same  
Will it make it easier on you now   
You got someone to blame  
You say..._

One love  
One life  
When it's one need  
In the night  
One love  
We get to share it  
Leaves you baby if you  
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you  
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth  
You act like you never had love  
And you want me to go without  
Well it's...

Too late  
Tonight  
To drag the past out into the light  
We're one, but we're not the same  
We get to  
Carry each other  
Carry each other  
One...  
Have you come here for forgiveness  
Have you come to raise the dead  
Have you come here to play Jesus  
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much  
More than a lot  
You gave me nothing  
Now it's all I got  
We're one  
But we're not the same  
Well we  
Hurt each other  
Then we do it again  
You say  
Love is a temple   
Love a higher law  
Love is a temple  
Love the higher law   
You ask me to enter  
But then you make me crawl  
And I can't be holding on  
To what you got  
When all you got is hurt   
One love  
One blood  
One life  
You got to do what you should  
One life  
With each other  
Sisters  
Brothers  
One life  
But we're not the same  
We get to  
Carry each other   
Carry each other

One...life

One

She finished the song to the sound of applause. Finally cracking a smile she relaxed as the audience told her she didn't suck at all.

Then she caught Portman's eye and saw him staring at her in shock. She wasn't sure whether he was happy or mad. The smile faded from her face as she saw him stand up and leave the auditorium.


	22. Unexpected Visitors

Allie didn't bother to hang around after her performance she headed straight out of the auditorium smiling politely at the congratulatory remarks from her teachers and fellow students as she passed them.

She had to find Portman and find out what was up with him.

She tried his dorm first. Knocking lightly on the door the response she got was Portman's gruff voice yelling.

"Whoever it is I don't want to know"

_well at least he's not swearing_ Allie thought.

"Its me, open up" Allie replied calmly.

"I said I didn't want to know!" Portman yelled.

"What is your problem? Why are you so mad at me?" Allie had no idea what was going on.

"Take a guess" Portman yelled back.

Allie sighed in exasperation "Portman I'm not having an argument with you through the door now let me in so you can yell at me to my face"

The door opened with a thud.

"There are you happy?" he asked turning his back to return to his bed where he was slumped staring absently out of the window. He wouldn't even look at her.

"No, what's going on?" Allie shut the door behind her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Portman accused still not looking at her.

"Tell you what?" Allie couldn't think of anything she was supposed to tell him.

"Tell me that you were going to sing _that_ in front of most of the school" Portman spat the word that as if it was laced with arsenic.

"I didn't know it was going to be in front of so many people. As far as I knew it was only going to be my music teacher and maybe the rest of the class" Allie explained.

"If you felt like that then why didn't you say something?" Portman asked. He'd seen the way she looked as she was singing. He knew it had come from inside of her, no one could sing like that unless they really meant it.

"I don't feel like that anymore" Allie said softly feeling a little guilty. She never in a million years thought that this would upset him so much.

"Anymore?" he pressed "So you did feel like that at some stage"

Allie detected the resentment in his voice. She'd never heard him speak to her like this before and it was quite hurtful.

"Of course I felt like that. When I came back here, found you with another girl and you avoided me for a few weeks what else was I supposed to feel?" Allie replied feeling the tears stinging her eyes.

_Pull it together, you are not going to cry now_ she told herself.

Portman continued to stare out of the window. _What am I meant to say to that?_ He thought.

"You don't understand" Portman mumbled.

"Understand what? It was a song I picked for my project at a time when I was feeling like crap and by the time things got better it was too late for another song" she explained a little louder than she expected.

"If I make you feel like crap then why are you here? Why don't you just leave?" Portman knew he was being irrational but his pride was getting in the way of his better judgement.

Allie's mouth dropped open.

"Because I love you you asshole and I thought you loved me, but I guess I was wrong" she turned away and walked out before the tears started falling.

Portman stared at the empty doorway where she'd just exited her last words echoing in his head _I thought you loved me but I guess I was wrong_.

"Fuck!" he yelled loudly slamming his fist into the wall creating a small hole. He stared at it for a few seconds before the numbness took over.

He needed a drink badly.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Allie ran all the way back to the dorms not wanting Portman to catch up to her. She was glad it was last period on Friday. All she wanted to do was pack and leave for the weekend.

Julie was hovering outside her door when she arrived.

"Hey you were awesome!" Julie gushed when Allie was still quite a distance away from her.

"Thanks" Allie replied softly.

As she got closer Julie's eyes grew wide with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked touching her friend's arm.

Allie shook her head. She took out her keys and unlocked the dorm room door allowing Julie access before shutting it behind her and locking it. She didn't want Portman bursting in for another round of verbal abuse.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Julie asked sitting on Linda's neatly made bed.

"I don't know exactly what's wrong though. He's acting so damn weird" Allie finally replied as she took out her weekend bag from underneath her bed.

"What did he say to you?" Julie asked knowing for Allie to be this upset about it it had to be pretty bad.

"He got so angry at me for choosing that particular song. He wouldn't even listen to me when I explained that I chose it long before we even got back together" Allie exploded.

Julie looked at her sympathetically "Do you think he's just mad at something else?" she asked. She couldn't work out why Portman would be so upset over something so minor.

Allie shrugged "I dunno, whatever it is he's not talking to me about it" she replied feeling a little hurt. Last week Portman would have told her everything and now he only gave her the edited version of his problems.

"You going somewhere?" Julie asked finally noticing that Allie was packing.

Allie nodded "Yeah I'm going home for the weekend, I think I really need to get away from this place"

Julie sighed "I know how you feel, I haven't heard from Jesse for over a week and Fulton's driving me up the wall. Men suck big time!"

Allie felt sorry for the girl, she knew Julie had high hopes on having a real relationship with Jesse. Then she was stuck by an idea.

"Hey do you wanna come home with me? I'm sure my dad won't mind and as you know we have tonnes of room" Allie suggested. It had been so long since a friend stayed over at her house in Minnesota. The place was practically deserted half of the time.

Julie's eyes lit up "Sure that would be fantastic!" she replied excitedly.

As awful as it sounded a weekend without the Ducks was exactly what she needed right then.

"Come on, I'll come with you to your dorm. Hey you don't mind if Hayley gives us a ride do you? She lives down the hill from me" Allie asked remembering that Hayley and Julie weren't exactly best buddies.

Julie actually smiled "Nah that's cool, I've always wanted to see what the inside of her jeep looked like"

Allie laughed "A pigsty" she replied.

"Dad are you home?" Allie called opening the huge mahogany doors to the house.

"In here sweetheart" Mr Taylor called from the depths of the massive mansion.

"Gee that narrows it down" Allie whispered to Julie who laughed.

"Are you sure its okay for me to stay here?" Julie asked suddenly feeling nervous. She hadn't actually had a conversation with Allie's dad properly but he was quite intimidating judging from the way she saw him shut down Tom Riley.

"Yeah of course it is" Allie replied leading Julie through the lobby towards a room behind the enormous staircase. If Allie knew her father, he'd be in his study.

"Daddy?" Allie knocked on the door.

"Come in" Mr Taylor beckoned.

Allie entered the room dragging Julie behind her.

"Dad this is my friend Julie, she's staying here for the weekend okay?" Allie knew it would be fine but she decided to ask anyway.

"Hello Julie, I remember you from the last time I was at Eden Hall" Mr Taylor recognised the blonde girl standing next to his daughter.

"Yeah nice to see you again Mr Taylor" Julie replied politely.

"Call me David, Julie. Mr Taylor makes me sound so old" he replied with a chuckle.

"Oh dad you're lucky Hayley didn't hear you say that" Allie laughed. Hayley and her father had a relationship where they did nothing but make fun of each other good-naturedly.

"Julie you're not like Hayley are you? You're not about to tease me for being old" Mr Taylor faked a worried look.

"No, you're safe" Julie replied wishing her own dad were half as cool as Allie's was.

"Oh thank the Lord for that! Will Hayley be gracing us with her presence tonight?" Mr Taylor asked wondering how many people were going to be around for dinner. He had to confirm his booking at the Minnesota Club for that evening. There was going to be a surprise guest for Allie.

"Nah I think she's going to some party with Courtney and Mel over in St Paul. I definitely wanted to give that one a miss" Allie replied.

"Good, we're going to the Minnesota Club tonight, Julie don't' panic, you are more than welcome to come, in fact I'm expecting you to come" Mr Taylor laughed when he saw the look on Julie's face.

Julie shook her head "No I eat most things"

"Maybe we should have invited Goldberg" Allie laughed. It was a well known fact that Goldberg loved the food at the Minnesota Club, even if he had to scrub toilets to pay for the bill Varsity had left the Ducks with.

"So who's coming?" Allie asked.

Mr Taylor shook his head "It's a surprise" he grinned.

"You suck" Allie pouted. She hoped it wasn't her mother.

"I love you too" Mr Taylor continued grinning "Now get out of here" he added playfully.

"Come on Jules, lets go find Bash" Allie replied leaving a confused looking Julie trailing behind her.

_Bash?_ Julie thought wondering who or what the hell Allie was going introduce her to next.

She didn't have to wait too long. Allie stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled. Julie waited for the outcome and within seconds she was startled by a huge slobbering German Shepherd running towards her.

"Does he bite?" Julie asked fearful for her arms and legs.

"Nah unless you're hiding food in your pocket" Allie replied holding her arms out for the dog.

"Is that Bash?" Julie asked.

"Yep, hey buddy!" Allie cooed roughing up Bash's fur. The dog barked happily as he was showered with attention from his owner.

"Hey is that one of those little puppies that were here last time?" Julie remembered how she and Connie had played with a little puppy that the housekeeper had been carrying.

Allie thought for a moment then nodded "Yeah it probably was one of the others though"

"Wow he's so big!" Julie exclaimed. The dog had removed itself from Allie's grasp and had now decided he wanted pats from Julie too.

"And slobbery!" she laughed when the dog jumped up and licked her bare arm.

Allie laughed along with her. He'd done the same thing to Hayley when she first came back to Minnesota and the reaction from Hayley was way more colourful. She had been downright horrified at the realisation she had dog slobber on her.

"Lets go put our stuff down and we can decide what we want to do first" Allie suggested.

Julie's jaw dropped when Allie opened the double doors to her bedroom.

"This is your room? This is way cooler than the dorms, in fact its way cooler than any room I've ever seen!" she gushed taking in the hardwood floor and the modern furniture.

"This will be your bed" Allie pointed to the double bed that had been made up with black silk bedsheets and an expensive looking Royal Purple comforter.

Julie stared at the bed for a minute before putting her stuff down. She had half a mind to move in here and ride the bus for the hour and a half each way to Eden Hall.

"Did you bring any dressy clothes?" Allie asked heading over to her giant closet.

"No, I only brought daggy stuff" Julie replied hoping she could borrow something of Allie's so she wouldn't look shabby at the dinner.

"That's what I thought, come here" Allie beckoned rummaging through various hangers of clothes.

Julie walked over to the closet. _Connie would be so jealous if she saw what I'm seeing_! She thought. Her and Connie hadn't really been all that close lately, Connie spends most of her time with Adam or Charlie and Julie spends a lot of time with Fulton (when he's not annoying her) or Allie.

"Pick what you want, the shoes are in there" Allie pointed to a cabinet at the back of the walk in closet.

"Thanks Allie" Julie replied with a grin.

She frowned when she saw her friend staring at something hanging up on the other side. Julie turned to see what it was and recognised it immediately.

"Hey isn't that.." she started.

"Yeah" Allie replied softly reaching up to take the jacket down.

It was the leather jacket Portman had let her keep when she was asked to leave Eden Hall. She had forgotten all about it until now.

She ran her fingertips over the sleeves remembering when he'd first given it to her, their walk after a game and she'd been cold so he wrapped his jacket around her holding it in place as they walked.

"Hey, don't cry" Julie said softly and it was only then that Allie became aware that there were tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Sorry" Allie quickly wiped her eyes and placed the jacket back. She'd return it to him later.

"Aw, its gonna be okay, he's just being well, a guy" Julie gave her friend a comforting hug. She knew that Portman really loved Allie more than life itself, he was just being an ass at the moment.

Allie laughed. When you're having problems with guys then trashing the entire male population was the way to go.

"Come on lets find something to wear" Julie tried to take Allie's mind off of Portman for the time being.

Allie smiled and turned back to the dressier clothes hanging in the closet.

Her eyes landed on a Versace dress bag.

"I wonder what this is?" she wondered out loud taking the bag down. She opened it to reveal a charcoal grey silk dress. The one she'd bought in New York.

"Wow that's gorgeous" Julie commented seeing the dress.

"I completely forgot I had this" Allie explained.

"I got it for winter formal at Madison but I never went because I moved back here" she had completely forgotten all about Nicholas Eastwood and the winter formal. Hell she hadn't even called Steph or Alicia in a few weeks.

"You could wear that to prom, its beautiful!" Julie suggested.

Allie nodded "Yeah, saves me from looking for another dress!" she laughed as she placed the dress back in the bag and put it back on the rack.

"Oh okay here we go" Allie pulled out a simple black dress.

"You in a dress?" Julie laughed. Allie only ever wore dresses or skirts when it was deemed absolutely necessary.

"Dad likes me to dress appropriately when we go out to the Club" Allie rolled her eyes. She grabbed a pale blue cashmere cardigan from one of the shelves.

"Preppy snob make over complete!" she announced showing Julie.

"Oh my god, we tell no one about this" she pleaded as she realised she too would have to dress like a prep. She hadn't had to do that since she was in Maine for her cousins wedding three years ago.

Following Allie's attire as a guide, Julie picked out a knee length black skirt and a baby pink cashmere sweater.

"I have to wear heels don't I?" Julie laughed.

"Nah try these" Allie produced a pair of flat ballet pumps from the shoe cabinet.

She chose a pair of black leather slingbacks for herself.

"You know this is kinda fun" Julie commented as they moved on to hair and make up.

"I know!" Allie agreed feeling extremely glad that she'd invited Julie for the weekend.

She was wondering who this mystery guest was going to be.

_Hopefully someone cool_ she thought.

"Dude have you seen Jules?" Fulton burst through the door to their dorm to find Portman sitting at the edge of his bed with a bottle of Jack Daniels between his feet. He'd already gone through a quarter of the bottle.

"Probably butting in on someone else's life for a change" Portman replied bitterly.

Fulton let it go, he knew Portman was a mean drunk.

"You coming to this party over in St Paul? Guy said we could crash at his place if we wanted to" Fulton tried changing the subject.

"Party full of bitches and hos like the rest of this school" Portman mumbled.

"Dude what's wrong?" Fulton decided to just come out and ask the question.

"She left me man, I told her to go and she fucking did" Portman replied angrily.

"Who left, Allie? Why'd you tell her to go?" Fulton was confused. He'd seen Portman leave the auditorium shortly after Allie's song but he had just thought it had something to do with his mom and Dean Buckley being so chummy.

"She fucking hates me man" Portman yelled.

"No she doesn't, she loves you" Fulton tried reassuring his friend. He'd seen the way she only had eyes for his best friend although sometimes he wished she, or even Julie, would look at him like that. No girl ever did though.

"She fucking left me! Are you deaf?" Portman was getting nasty.

"Go talk to her then, maybe when you're sober though. I'm heading out to that party. Catch ya later" Fulton decided to make an exit before things got rough and Portman tried to fight him.

"I'm not a drunk!" Portman screamed at the back of the door as Fulton shut it behind him.

Sighing as one particular thing Fulton said to him stuck in his head, _Go talk to her_.

Picking up his bottle of Jack Daniels and tucking it under his arm he headed for Allie's dorm room.

"ALLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Portman screeched as he banged rather hard on the door. Several girls on her floor had opened the door to see what the commotion was.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Portman yelled scaring the girls into slamming their doors shut and locking them.

"Portman? What the fuck are you doing?" an angry looking Linda answered the door. He could see Charlie in the room behind her.

"I need Allie" Portman moaned.

Linda shook her head. Hayley had mentioned that Allie and Portman had a fight earlier and that she'd taken Julie home for the weekend. Linda had been looking forward to having the room to herself for the evening with Hayley going to the party in St Paul.

"She's not here, she went home for the weekend" Linda replied mentally kicking herself. Oh well, maybe he'd sober up by the time he reached Allie's house on the other side of town. For his sake she hoped he did.

"I need her!" Portman replied his eyes wild. He peered into the room behind Linda to make sure Allie wasn't in there avoiding him.

"She's not here damn it!" Linda threw the door wide open so that Portman could see that it was just her and Charlie in the room.

"Dude, seriously she took Julie with her" Charlie tried. He really wanted Portman to go away so that he could have some alone time with Linda for a change.

"Fucking hell!' Portman pounded his fist on the wall causing it to crack a little. Linda and Charlie both jumped not expecting such an outburst.

Without saying another word to either Charlie or Linda Portman turned around and left the dorm, heading back to his own to find the keys to his truck.

He found his cell phone before his keys. He dialled the number for Allie's cell and became even more pissed off when he got the voice mail.

"_Hey this is Allie leave a message and I'll call you back, unless I don't want to, ha just kidding"_ her voice filled his ears.

"Baby answer your damn phone, I need you" Portman said before hanging up.

He momentarily forgot about searching for his keys and he sat back down taking another swig of Jacks. The alcohol numbed the pain he was going through, even if it was only temporary.

His father had called him from prison demanding to know where his mother and sister were. His exact words were

"_I will hunt them down and when I do I'll be sure to mail pieces of them back to you as keepsakes"_

Portman had been scared stiff, he'd never heard his father talk like that before. He tried to get a hold of his mother but she was nowhere to be found and he had no idea where she was staying. Then on top of it all he'd overreacted about Allie's music performance, taking all of his insecurities out on her rather than tell her what was really going on.

_You'll just upset her and then she could be in danger too_ the little voice inside his head was telling him.

The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. if anything she should be the one taking her frustrations out on him, she was the one who had to endure his ex-girlfriend butting in to their lives every ten seconds, she's the one who's parents got divorced and now she's the one who took his advice and left.

Portman took another drink swallowing a large mouthful in one gulp. He screwed his face up as the burning sensation passed down his throat.

_What the fuck am I doing?_ He asked himself.

"Getting trashed man!" he answered himself aloud with a sarcastic chuckle.

_Ah if only she was here to get trashed with me!_

"Dean are you in there?" a female voice interrupted Portman's wallowing in self-misery.

"Depends on who's asking" Portman shot back.

"Dean open the door" she pleaded using the same tone Allie had earlier.

_Allie?_ Portman unrealistically hoped as he leapt up and opened the door to find Danielle nervously shuffling in front of him.

"Fuck off" he said rudely.

"Are you going to that party? I need a ride, my friends ditched me" Danielle looked close to tears.

"Nope and I don't care" Portman didn't bother to hide his dislike for the girl.

"Please Dean? St Paul's not that far" Danielle pleaded.

Portman debated in his head, St Paul was on the way to Allie's house and maybe she was at the party.

"Two conditions, firstly stop calling me Dean and secondly after this you stay away from me and my girlfriend" Portman warned turning back into his room to start searching for his keys again.

"Okay" Danielle was going to agree to anything if it meant she could show up at that party with Portman. It would mean her friends didn't ditch her for nothing as it was all part of the plan.

She stepped inside the dorm room noticing the smell of alcohol straight away.

"You have any more?" she asked tilting her head to the side.

Portman handed the bottle of Jacks to her.

Danielle took a small swig of the liquor trying her hardest not to cough as it burnt her throat. She wasn't used to drinking hard liquor straight, she was more used to mixing cocktails with her friends.

"Finally!" Portman exclaimed as he noticed his keys poking out from underneath a hoodie. It was the Tool hoodie of Allie's he'd swiped the other day when his mom had arrived.

"Hurry up, lets go" Portman walked straight past Danielle and snatched the bottle back form her as he went. He didn't really want to waste his numbing medication on her, especially not if he had to put up with her for the ride to St Paul.


	23. Back together

"Why does this place seem even bigger than the last time I was here?" Julie whispered as Mr Taylor's driver opened the door of the plain black 4 door BMW sedan for the girls to exit.

"It does have that effect on people" Allie agreed eyeing the classy entrance to the Club.

"Ladies, shall we?" Mr Taylor positioned himself in between the two girls offering an arm to each of them.

Allie and Julie giggled as they linked their arms through his.

"Watch the rumours circulate, Julie by tomorrow you'll be known as my new wife and Allie's step-mom. Don't you just hate rich people with nothing better to do than make up stuff?" Mr Taylor whispered.

Julie laughed again. Allie's dad had to be the coolest dad she'd ever met.

"Dad thanks for giving me nightmares, I'm sure you just scarred Jules for life too" Allie joked as she watched her father ignore most of Minnesota's 'elite' snobs.

"Mr Taylor, ladies, right this way" their hostess led them to a private table where their dinner guests were already seated.

"Oh my" Allie exclaimed when she saw who the surprise guest was.

Even Julie's mouth flew open. She hadn't been expecting to see him for a while, if at all.

"Scooter!" Allie exclaimed as Scooter stood up preparing himself to catch her as she launched herself at him.

"Hey cutie long time no see" Scooter laughed giving his best friend a huge hug.

"What are you doing back so soon? Don't tell me college was too hard for you" Allie laughed kissing him on the cheek before she went to give the other guest a hug.

"So funny Allie" he replied sarcastically.

"Helena, I'm so happy to see you" Allie told Scooter's mother.

"Jules!" Scooter exclaimed. He wasn't sure if he was meant to give his now ex-girlfriend a hug or not. They'd broken up on friendly terms but still.

Julie answered his question for him "Don't I get a hug?" she asked.

"Of course you do!" Scooter happily obliged. He'd missed Julie whilst he was out in California. California girls were incredibly different to Minnesota girls, or Maine girls as Julie's case was.

"So what's been happening?" Scooter asked as he happily sat in between Allie and Julie. He had his two favourite girls beside him.

"What hasn't been happening" Allie mumbled as she was handed a menu by their waiter. She almost burst out laughing when he winked at her.

"Are you back with Portman?" Scooter asked. He hadn't seen Allie since she left for New York.

"Yes and no" Allie replied as a glass of water was poured for her.

"Spill it Taylor, what's he done now?" Scooter knew that something was up the second she started giving mixed answers.

"And if you say what hasn't he done? Then I will have to pour that water over your head" Scooter warned.

Allie shoot Scooter a dirty look "I see you haven't changed!" she replied with a small smile.

"Oh we just had a huge fight and he told me to leave, so I did. Haven't seen him or spoken to him since" Allie replied omitting the fact that the fight happened that afternoon and that she'd purposely kept her cell phone off.

"Right, so it happened this afternoon and your phone is turned off" Scooter replied to an open mouthed Allie. _How the hell does he do that?_ She wondered.

"It amazes me how good I am!" Scooter whispered to Julie who rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the waiter who was now winking at her.

The waiter would have been in his 20s with dark hair and eyes that were almost black. He was cute but Julie thought he was way too old for her and of course Allie never had eyes for anyone but Portman.

"If he's annoying you I can beat him up" Scooter whispered to Julie who just laughed.

"And what makes you think I can't beat him up myself" she challenged back. It was their play fighting she missed the most about him. Scooter was someone who really made her laugh.

"Geez Jules, way to make a guy feel wanted" Scooter pretended to be hurt.

"I try" Julie laughed before something happening three tables over got her attention.

Allie noticed Julie's shocked expression and followed her gaze.

They'd just worked out why Jesse hadn't been to see Julie since that first kiss. He was being led to the table by their hostess hand in hand with a dark skinned girl with long braided black hair and possibly the ugliest yellow dress either of them had ever seen.

"Maybe she's a relative or a friend" Allie said softly sensing that she'd have to excuse herself and drag Julie to the bathroom to calm down.

At that moment just to prove Allie wrong Jesse leant down and kissed the girl on the lips as he pushed her chair in for her.

"Mmmmhmmm" Julie wasn't impressed.

"Friend of yours?" Scooter couldn't help but be a little jealous. It was obvious Julie had some kind of relationship going with the guy they were staring at, he saw the signs of her about to blow her stack.

"Not anymore" Julie replied through clenched teeth.

"Come on, lets get some air" Allie decided against the bathroom just in case ugly yellow dress girl came in. That would start a huge catfight. Also that meant that Scooter could come too.

"Excuse us daddy, we're going to get some air" Allie ushered her two friends out to the garden that backed onto the Main Street.

……………………………………………

"So are you coming to the party?" Danielle asked hopefully as they sped through the streets of Minneapolis.

"NO" Portman grunted swerving sharply to overtake a car.

"Oh come on it'll be fun!" Danielle exclaimed trying to convince him.

"I don't want to go to some lame ass party now shut up about it!" Portman replied as he took another swig from his Jacks bottle.

"Well we can go somewhere else" Danielle was pulling out all stops.

"I'm going somewhere else, _you're_ going to the party" Portman gritted his teeth trying to remember why he'd agree to drive her to St Paul in the first place.

_Oh yeah, she promised to leave us alone_ he thought bitterly.

Danielle didn't reply.

Portman grabbed his cell phone from the dash and dialled Allie's number again.

"_Hey this is Allie leave a message_"

Portman cursed through the rest of her voicemail message.

"Baby I love you, I'll see you soon" he left the seventeenth voice message that night.

Danielle remained silent, instead she turned to stare out of the window as they came along the Main Street.

……………………………………………………………..

"What the hell?" Scooter exclaimed as he heard the screech of tyres.

The trio turned around in time to see the black pick up truck speed past the Minnesota Club.

"Isn't that?" Julie recognised the truck.

"Portman" Allie replied angrily. She'd seen who was in the passenger seat and she was pissed.

"Idiot, who does he think he is driving like that, he's gonna end up killing someone" Scooter exclaimed angrily.

"Not if I catch him first" Allie grunted. She had half a mind to take the BMW and beat the shit out of him but the more rational half won out.

"Come on lets finish dinner" Allie announced.

The other two nodded.

"Hey, forget about Jesse, he obviously doesn't know how amazing you are" Scooter whispered to Julie as he held his arm out to her.

Julie smiled slipping her hand down his arm to take his hand instead as the pair walked back inside the Club behind Allie.

It felt just like old times to Julie and Scooter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well that was eventful!" Allie exclaimed as her and Julie climbed out of the BMW and headed into the house.

"I reckon, how can Portman be so damn stupid!" Julie fumed. Allie had told her what she'd seen and Julie had hit the roof.

"Its so frustrating but you know what, if he wants her then he can have her" Allie spat as they reached her room to find Bash stretched out across Allie's bed snoring his head off.

The girls stifled giggles at the sight.

"I can't believe Jesse either, god I'm so stupid to even think that there was something there _and_ I hurt Fulton for no reason" Julie collapsed on her bed.

"All men are liars" Allie came to the conclusion as she tried unsuccessfully to shift her dog.

"So where did your dad go?" Julie asked. Mr Taylor had told Allie he had some urgent business to attend to and that they would have to ride by themselves back to the house.

"Some exclusive property being built up in Edina I think, why on earth he's needed at this time of night I don't know" Allie replied. Most of her father's clients expected way too much of him sometimes.

"Wow remind me never to become an architect" Julie laughed kicking her shoes off.

"I hear ya, I'm never going to work with anything to do with property. Its just too hard!" Allie laughed.

The girls continued chatting for another half an hour as they changed out of their preppy clothes.

"Ah this is better" Julie exclaimed wearing a pair of grey Nike sweatpants and a white singlet.

"Amen to that!" Allie agreed dressed similarly in a pair of navy blue Nike sweatpants and a FDNY tee that was given to her in New York when her school attended a field trip to the Fire Station.

"Miss Allie I think you'd better see this, Miles is having a fit" Victoria burst into the room.

Allie and Julie exchanged glances before following the housekeeper.

"Vicki where are we going?" Allie asked as she followed Victoria down a hall past her father's office.

She recognised the route, they were headed to the security control room.

"Is there a problem?" Allie asked when she entered.

"You could say that, take a look at this" Vicki pointed to the monitor that was hooked up to the camera at the front gates.

"Oh shit" Allie gasped when she recognised Portman's black pick up truck parked at an odd angle across the drive.

"He hasn't tried to ram the gates has he?" Julie asked knowing Portman could be stupid sometimes.

"No I don't think so but he's giving Miles a hard time" Vicki answered.

"Come on Jules, we're going down there" Allie announced to Victoria's horror.

"Allie no! we don't know who this crazy guy is" Vicki hadn't worked out who the attempted intruder was.

"Yes we do, its Portman and he's drunk" Allie replied from down the hall.

"Bash!" Allie called.

"Vicki can you get Demon and/or Shadow and their leads, Jules you can handle a dog can't you?" Allie asked. She would feel better if they were armed with trained security dogs just in case it was some nut job who'd stolen Portman's pick up to get to her father.

Julie nodded "They definitely wont bite will they?" she asked.

"Not you but if someone tried to hurt you then they'll get a set of chompers in their ass" Allie laughed when Julie looked horrified for a split second before grinning.

"I brought Demon, I think Shadow is coming into season" Vicki announced handing the large male dog to Julie.

"Lets go" Allie tugged on Bash's lead as they made their way down the driveway to the gate.

……………………………………………………………….

"ALLIE!" Portman screamed into the darkness. The gates to her house were locked and the security guy wasn't letting him in regardless of how much he threatened him.

The guard reminded him calmly that he was the one with the gun.

"ALLIE!" Portman screamed again before turning back to the guard.

"Cant you call her or something?" he pleaded.

"I'd imagine Miss Taylor doesn't want to be bothered by drunk teenage boys" the guard stated with a smirk.

"Man what would you know" Portman took a step towards him but stopped abruptly when the guard tapped the butt of his gun in his holster belt.

Portman could hear a dog barking.

"She set the dogs on me?" he asked aloud.

"Heel!" he distinctly heard Allie's voice.

"ALLIE!" he screamed again and was greeted by the sound of two dogs barking.

"Portman for fucks sake will you just shut up and stop setting the dogs off" Allie yelled at him as her and Julie came into sight.

"Baby!" Portman sounded excited when he saw her.

"Don't you baby me you jackass" Allie replied with a hard look.

Portman took a step back.

"Whatsh going on?" he leaned against the gate trying to press his face through the bars.

_Great he's slurring his words now_ Allie thought as she handed Bash to Julie.

"What are you doing here Portman?" Allie asked firmly. She still wasn't impressed.

"I need you" Portman replied looking up at her as he started swaying on his feet.

"Bullshit" Allie replied with her arms folded across her chest.

"No bullshit" Portman replied trying to smile at her.

His smile was cut short by her glare.

"I wuv you" he tried again as he staggered leaning heavily on the gate.

"Yeah right and please tell me, since you love me so much and all, why you had Danielle in your truck speeding like a maniac through Main Street?" Allie challenged.

Portman looked stunned.

"I…I…" he stammered.

"Yeah that's what I thought" Allie replied harshly feeling like crying on the inside.

"Nooooooo" he wailed "She meansh nufing to me" he explained.

"I want yooouuuu" he fell against the gate again.

Allie glanced at Julie who shrugged.

"Open the gate Miles" Allie made a decision.

"Are you sure Miss Allie?" he asked.

Allie nodded "Yeah I can't have him driving anywhere like this, he's likely to kill someone, or himself"

"Jules can you put the dogs in the back?" Allie said as she stepped back to allow the gates to open.

"Portman give me your keys" Allie ordered sharply.

Portman looked up at her before he slid down to the ground.

"Damn it" Allie cursed as the Miles rushed forward to help her pick the drunken Portman up.

"Here I'll get in first and help you drag him in" Julie offered climbing into the truck and positioning herself so that she could drag Portman's weight across onto the seat.

They eventually got Portman into the car who was mumbling incoherently to himself and Allie got into the drivers seat. The keys to the truck were in the ignition.

"I'm so sorry about this Miles" Allie apologised to the guard who smiled at her.

"Don't you let him get away with nothing!" he scolded playfully.

"Oh don't worry I wont!" Allie laughed putting the truck into gear before turning the ignition.

"Do you know how to drive this thing?" Julie asked cautiously.

"Not very well but we'll get there eventually, I am not dragging that thing up the hill" Allie gestured to Portman.

"Holy shit! I hope he hasn't drunk this much" Julie found the almost empty Jacks bottle on the floor of the truck.

"You fucking idiot Portman" Allie muttered under her breath as she let Julie tend to Portman's whinging.

She got the truck up the hill to the house and parked it around the back. Her father would kill her if he knew she was letting a drunken teenage boy into the house when he wasn't home.

Victoria met the girls at the back entrance.

"Do you want me to put the dogs away?" she asked.

"Nah they can both come to my room, they might scare him sober" Allie joked knowing that it was wishful thinking.

Victoria simply nodded as she collected the dogs from the back of the pick up and followed Allie and Julie who were holding up a very unsteady Portman to Allie's room.

"Lets take him out on the balcony" Allie replied opening the French doors to her balcony. The fresh air would do Portman the world of good.

"I only took her cos she promised to go away" Portman insisted leaning heavily on Allie's shoulder.

"We'll talk about that when you're not trashed out of your mind" Allie said leading him out onto the balcony.

"Jules can you watch him for a second?" Allie asked as she ducked back inside to get him a pillow and a blanket.

Bash had made himself at home on Allie's bed again and Demon had taken advantage of Julie's empty bed.

Allie laughed at the pair for a second before heading back outside.

Portman was on the verge of passing out as Vicki placed a bucket next to him just in case.

"Allie?" Portman called out when he realised it was Julie who was holding him up.

"I'm here" Allie said relieving Julie of her duty.

"I'm sorry" he said on the verge of tears.

"Okay" Allie replied sitting down next to him.

Portman turned to kiss her.

"Whoah! Not with that breath" Allie warned moving her head away from him. That and she wasn't sure she'd forgiven him yet.

Portman nodded sadly and tried to sit back up.

"I'm so stupid" he murmured as his eyes started closing.

"Yes you are" Allie agreed.

"I love you" was the last thing Portman said before passing out.

Allie was hit sharply by the sun rising over the trees.

She tried to straighten up as she rubbed her eyes.

_Was it morning already? It seemed like only 10 minutes ago she'd put Portman out here_.

She looked down to find him snoring away with his head on her lap and his hands holding her thighs.

"That can't be comfortable" Julie opened the door to the balcony carrying another blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.

"Vicki said you could do with this. There's also a few Tylenol and a glass of water for the drunk there" Julie said softly as she wrapped the blanket around Allie's shoulders.

"Thanks Jules" Allie said.

Julie caught sight of the "spew" bucket and its contents.

"Oh that is really gross" Julie screwed her face up.

"I know, I'm gonna make _him _get rid of it when he wakes up" Allie shared Julie's opinion.

He'd thrown up a few times during the night and each time Allie had held his hair back and used a towel to wipe his face. She had nearly thrown up herself when it started coming out of his nose.

Oh the joys of getting trashed.

Allie heard whining and stared down at Portman thinking it was him. It was actually Bash who was trying to get past Julie's legs and out onto the balcony. Julie let him past and he eagerly started licking the side of Portman's face.

"Mmmm" Portman stirred slightly with a smile on his face. The girls stifled laughs as Bash kept happily licking Portman's face.

Portman bolted upright almost head butting the dog on the way up

"What? I'm awake" he blinked a few times and looked around.

"Where am I and why are we outside?" he asked confused.

"Oh gee I dunno, does a bottle of Jack Daniels and a certain blond in your pick up truck ring any bells?" Allie couldn't help but remark. He wasn't gonna get away with the _I don't remember _excuse.

"Huh?" Portman replied before remembering. "Oh yeah, baby nothing happened I swear" he started his apologising.

Julie slipped back inside the room. She had a feeling Portman was going to be doing a lot of apologising.

"So tell me again, why was she in your truck to start with?" Allie asked standing up and stretching her legs now that Portman was off of her.

"She wanted to go to that party in St Paul" Portman started his explanation.

He rubbed his temples trying to clear the pounding headache he felt forming in his head. His mouth felt like the desert.

Allie handed him the glass of water and the Tylenol Julie had brought out to her.

"Thanks honey" he said softly before popping the pills back and chasing it with the entire glass of water.

Allie didn't say anything nor did she return his smile. She sat back down and placed her arms around Bash's neck who was sitting down next to her.

"I told her to fuck off, I think that's what I said anyway, but she wouldn't go away. I told her that if she promised to leave us alone then I'd take her" Portman continued.

Allie could feel his eyes boring into her for some sort of reaction.

"So why'd you get drunk? Were you trying to kill yourself?" Allie hadn't even gotten to the fight they'd had before the Danielle incident.

Portman looked at his hands in his lap "No i…. I guess I was bummed. I was a jerk to you and you left me and I thought that…." He stopped. He couldn't even bring himself to say it just in case she confirmed his fears.

"You thought what?" Allie pressed on.

"I thought that you'd left me for good" he got those words out as quickly as he could.

Allie sighed "Portman you told me to leave and I did. I honestly thought you meant for me to just leave the room, well until I saw you speed past the club with _her_"

"I only took her to the damn party on the condition she stays away from us, I was trying to see you, trying to say sorry but then the was gate shut and the dogs and the dude with the gun and you hated me and then I don't remember much after that" Portman was having a little trouble expressing himself.

"Promise?" Allie asked. She could always tell when he meant something.

"Of course I promise it's the truth" Portman replied pleading for forgiveness with his eyes.

"Alright I'll believe you but don't ever pull another stunt like that again, you scared the shit out of my housekeeper last night and Miles was just about ready to shoot you" Allie had forgiven him but he needed to understand the effect on other people his actions had.

"I won't I promise. I love you" Portman went to lean in to kiss Allie but was stopped by the sound of growling.

"Bash thinks you stink, come on you'd better have a shower" Allie laughed pulling her dog back into the room.

"I assume I'm emptying this aren't I?" Portman turned a little green when he saw the bucket.

"You assume right" Allie never had any sympathy for people with hangovers, especially when they're self-inflicted.

Portman silently picked up the bucket holding it away from his nose as he followed Allie into the house.

"Bathroom's across the hall, there'll be some towels in there and if my dad catches you tell him you got here this morning" Allie warned.

Portman nodded glad that she was speaking to him before retreating to the bathroom.

Boy had he fucked up big time! 

While Portman was enjoying the hot stream of water washing away the smell of alcohol and vomit, Allie was doing the same.

Julie sat on the bed she was 'borrowing' with two slobbery dogs perched on either side of her. She knew why Allie loved them so much, they really were therapeutic for those times you wanted to kill someone.

She scratched Bash behind his ear and laughed when he went cross-eyed and she was using her other hand to scratch Demon on his tummy laughing again when his back leg started circling madly.

"Anyone in here?" Scooter's familiar voice was heard through the heavy double doors.

"Yeah come in" Julie tried to get up but the weight of two enormous things of the canine variety weren't budging.

Scooter opened the door cautiously just in case he was disturbing anyone. He smiled when he saw Julie in the bed flanked by her new friends.

"Someone sure is popular" he joked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah only cos Allie's in the shower" Julie laughed.

"How is she?" Scooter turned serious. He saw how upset his best friend was the previous night.

"Better. Portman kinda gatecrashed last night's party" Julie replied.

"Oh, she got an acceptable explanation I take it" Scooter asked.

"She must have cos she didn't throw him off the balcony when he finally woke up" Julie laughed at the thought of little, well she's not that little, Allie toppling the giant Dean Portman over the edge of the balcony.

"Woke up? He spent the night here? Wow did David go ballistic?" Scooter couldn't believe that Allie's father would allow Portman to spend the night.

"He doesn't know and I think Allie intends to keep it that way" Julie replied.

"I intend to keep what which way?" Allie emerged from the bathroom dressed in a gold coloured silk robe and her hair still up in a towel.

"Hey gorgeous look" Scooter laughed as Allie playfully gave him the finger with a broad grin.

"Your dad not knowing about Portman's little stunt" Julie explained as Scooter walked over to Allie and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"What the hell are you doing? Get off of my girlfriend!" Portman's angry voice cut through the air sharply.

"Hey man it's only me!" Scooter turned around to reveal himself.

"Oh Scooter, sorry, I didn't know who you were" Portman apologised looking sheepish.

Allie peered around Scooter alarmed to find Portman shirtless. Ordinarily she wouldn't mind but if her dad walked in the room right now there would be hell to pay.

"My shirt has vomit on it and I wasn't about to put it back on" Portman explained as if he were reading her mind.

"Oh umm okay, hang on" Allie turned around and went into her closet to find something.

"Here" she tossed a black t-shirt at him. it was one of the biggest ones she owned.

"Thanks" Portman replied moving closer to her.

Scooter took the hint and moved back to the bed with Julie, out of sight and out of earshot.

Allie sighed as she felt lips kissing the back of her neck and hands snaking down her back.

"Dean" she whispered making both of them shiver.

He loved it when she called him Dean.

"Guys we're going down to the pool" Scooter called.

"Okay" Allie called back trying not to moan as Portman moved his hands across her body.

When she couldn't stand it any longer she turned around and lunged hungrily at him kissing him as if it were the last time she'd ever see him.

Moving out of the closet they backed into the main bedroom still locked at the lips. Allie opened her eyes to see the doors had been shut. She pried herself away from Portman long enough to lock the doors.

Then she did the same with the balcony doors and she closed the drapes. Julie and Scooter had been thoughtful enough to take the dogs with them when they left.

Portman still stood where she'd left him with a smile on his face. He hadn't put the t-shirt on yet. He tossed it to the floor as he walked towards his girl where he lowered his head and started grazing his lips across her collarbone gently removing her silk robe as he went.

He was in awe every time he saw her naked and this was no exception. She blushed slightly still not used to his approving affections.

She helped him out of his pants and they both stood there watching each other. She ran her hand over his sculpted muscles as he led her to the bed.

Laying side by side he paused to kiss her nose before they well and truly made up.

…………………………………………………………………….

"So how are you doing?" Scooter asked Julie with some concern in his voice. Although he was as jealous as hell that Julie had started something with another guy it killed him to see her get hurt.

"Okay I guess, I mean now I realise how stupid I was thinking that Jesse and I would have a relationship" Julie replied staring at the still water of the pool.

Scooter patted her arm sympathetically.

Julie looked up at him and smiled. She could feel all of the old feelings for him returning.

_Damn it Julie he lives in California now_ she scolded herself.

"Julie um" Scooter paused.

Julie gave him a _go on_ look.

"Can I um…kiss you?" Scooter finished.

Julie broke into a grin and nodded.

Scooter leaned in closer and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

Julie took the plunge and deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Scooter returned the favour by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. it was just like old times again.

"I still love you Jules" Scooter whispered as they broke apart but rested their foreheads together.

"I still love you too" Julie admitted.


	24. Meet the Portmans

_**A/N as I've reposted the entire fic in larger chapters some of you may have already read the first part of this chapter. The new stuff is further down the page and it is roughly three times the length of the usual chapters.**_

_**Sorry that its so confusing but I thought it might be better to have fewer, longer chapters than lots of shorter chapters (I think I got up to around the 60 chapter mark)**_

_**Thanks for your reviews!**_

The weekend went by quickly for the four teenagers.

Julie and Scooter ended up going out on a date on Saturday night and they ran into Jesse who was with yet another girl.

It ended up with Scooter giving Jesse a piece of his mind and then he thanked him for being a jerk and giving Scooter his girl back. Jesse was stunned as he fumbled for an apology to Julie who told him to save it because she just didn't care anymore.

The pair then spent the entire Sunday together until Scooter had to catch a plane back to California.

"So where does this leave us now Gaffney?" Scooter asked as he held the blonde goalie in his arms.

"I don't know, I love you but I don't know if I can stand the long distance" Julie admitted. It was like they were having the first break up conversation all over again.

"I know but I don't really want any other girl but you. Do you think we could try it and see?" Scooter asked hopefully. He'd dated a few of the girls at USC but none of them were even half as interesting as Julie.

"I guess we could" Julie smiled lightly wondering if this was going to hurt more than it should.

"I'll visit every chance I get" Scooter was still pleading his case.

"Hey guys!" Allie called dragging Portman behind her. They'd been running late to get to the airport to see Scooter off.

"You guys look like you've been having fun" Scooter teased as he saw Portman's hair standing straight up and Allie's hair had obviously been hastily thrown back into a pony tail.

"Shut up we overslept!" Allie replied as Pormtan's face turned bright red.

"Yeah whatever" Scooter laughed as his best friend glared at him.

"Hmm and what do you call _this_" Allie gestured to Scooter and Julie who were wrapped up in each other's arms.

"We're kinda back together" Scooter beamed.

Julie smiled happily.

"Ooh I'm getting details from you later young lady" Allie told Julie who continued grinning.

"So are you all ready to head back to campus _college boy_" Allie laughed.

"Yes _Eden Hall girl!_" Scooter teased back.

Allie turned to say something to Portman and noticed him watching the airport security guards with great interest.

"Whatchya looking at?" she asked.

Portman barely heard her "Nothing, just watching" he mumbled.

The truth was that he had noticed them acting all agitated and on alert as if someone threatening was going to come through the terminal at any given moment.

That was when he caught sight of a tall man with a baseball cap pulled low walking out of the men's restroom.

The man's gaze lifted slightly and Portman was stung by recognition.

_Holy shit he's here_ he thought as he felt himself launch into panic mode.

"Allie I need your cell it's an emergency" he whispered hurriedly to his girlfriend.

"Um okay, is everything alright?" Allie asked concerned.

"No, not really but I'll explain it all to you later, I really have to go" Portman rushed quickly giving her a kiss on the cheek as she handed him her cell phone.

"I love you" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran out of the airport leaving a very confused looking Allie, Julie and Scooter behind.

Portman raced out of the airport towards his truck, dialling a number on Allie's cell phone as he ran.

His sister picked up after the second ring "Sarah Portman" her childlike voice came across all important.

"Bear its Dean is mom there?" Portman panted.

"Beanie!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Bear its really important that I speak to mom right now" Portman hated hurting his sister's feelings like that but it was now a matter of life and death, literally.

"Yeah hang on" Sarah sounded a little disappointed.

"MOM!" he heard her yell into the background.

"Hello?" Mrs Portman's voice came on the line.

"Mom, its Dean. You need to listen to me very carefully" Portman began.

"Dean honey what's wrong?" Mrs Portman asked her son.

"Mom, he's in Minneapolis. Get Sarah and meet me at the Eden Hall rink but you need to move _now_" Portman's mind was racing. All he could think about was keeping his mother and sister safe.

"Okay Dean, hurry" Mrs Portman replied hanging up the phone.

A small wave of relief swept over him, well at least he hadn't gotten to them just yet.

He sped through the streets of Minneapolis hoping not to get caught speeding. He had to ensure his mother and sister were safe from the clutches of that evil thing he called his father.

He pulled up into the Eden Hall car park outside the rink and was mighty relieved to find his mother's car parked there.

He pulled up in the open slot next to hers when he realised something was really wrong.

No one was occupying the vehicle and the drivers door was left wide open. He jumped out of his truck to check the car and was even more alarmed to find his mother's handbag sitting the floor of the passenger seat.

He checked the back seat but found nothing.

Placing his mother's handbag in his own truck and locking it before anyone could steal it he made a mad dash for the rink.

Wrenching the doors open and nearly pulling them off of their hinges he burst inside looking for any sign of his mother and sister.

He resisted against calling out, if they were in danger he didn't want their attacker to be alarmed and do something stupid.

He checked the male locker rooms, no sign of them.

He checked the female locker rooms, no sign of them.

A whimper made him whip his head around, there out on the ice were his mother and sister huddled together with his father in front of them.

Dean was shocked to see he had a gun trained on them.

Shit what am I gonna do? he thought to himself as he made the bold decision to step out onto the ice. 

_Please don't let me die, Allie would never forgive me_ he looked up to the heavens before he stepped out.

"Isn't this nice, now the whole family is here" his father sneered.

Portman noticed that the gun was now trained on him.

Allie and Julie had just left the airport with their minds on one thing primarily.

Portman's strange behaviour.

They were now driving along the highway in Julie's silver hatchback.

"Where do you think he went?" Julie asked.

"I'm not sure, maybe his mothers but I don't know where she lives" Allie replied realising that she hasn't actually met his mother yet.

"Me neither so that doesn't help. Should we try Eden Hall?" Julie asked as she changed lanes.

"Couldn't hurt" Allie replied wishing she could get in contact with him. She'd used Julie's cell to phone her own number but Portman wasn't answering.

After the third attempt she got sick of hearing her own voice coming across on the voice mail message so she gave up.

"I hope he's okay" she added softly.

Julie glanced over at her sympathetically. "He'll be fine" she reassured.

"I hope so" Allie was now getting really worried.

…………………………………………………………………………

"The family all together again, I must say I feel blessed" Michael Portman spat at his wife and two children.

"How'd you get out?" Dean asked his father trying not to stare at the barrel of the pistol. He only hoped his father was dumb enough to leave the safety on.

"I rode here on the magic carpet, how the hell do you think I got out, I still have friends on the outside" Michael replied sarcastically.

"Please daddy don't hurt us" Sarah whimpered from the clutches of her mother.

"Oh sweetie, I don't have a choice. You see your mother was the one who turned me in and I can't let her get away with it" Michael's face turned to scorn as he spoke.

Dean's mouth dropped open. On one side he couldn't believe his mother would do something like that and on the other side his father was acting crazy and lying wouldn't be beneath him.

"Go on Kate tell them" Michael gestured to his wife whilst keeping the gun on Dean's chest.

Dean dared to glance across at his mother where his father's accusations were confirmed.

"Alright its true, but why don't you tell them why I did it" Kate Portman was feeling rather bold.

"You think that's supposed to scare me? I have no trouble at all saying it was because I was screwing my much younger, prettier assistant, and I have no trouble saying why either. It was because my wife stopped paying any attention to me years ago" Michael Portman was laying the family history out on the table.

A slap to the face would have had a better effect on Dean as he stood there stunned. He really didn't want to hear about his parents sex lives, or lack thereof.

He glanced across at Sarah sympathetically, that girl would need years of therapy to get over this one that is if they made it out alive.

…………………………………………………………………………………

"Do you see his truck anywhere?" Julie asked keeping one eye on the road as she circled the main carpark.

"Not yet" Allie replied.

Julie noted the hopeful tone was fading from her voice.

"He's got to be around here somewhere" she tried reassuring her friend.

Allie didn't reply as Julie circled the lot one last time before heading out.

"Lets try the student parking lot" Julie suggested trying to sound as bright and cheery as she could.

"Mmm" Allie replied staring out of the window.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Get over with your bitch of a mother" Michael ordered his son.

Dean did as he was told. No sense in getting shot over something so dumb he thought knowing that Allie would probably bring him back to life just so she could yell at him for getting himself killed.

He tried not to smile as he thought of the way her eyes crinkle at the corners when she's really mad about something.

"Sit down" Michael barked.

He knew his muscles would be killing him later but at this stage there was no choice but to do as he was told.

Sarah on the other hand tried her luck "Daddy its cold" she said in a small voice, her big brown eyes pleading with him.

Michael Portman had at least a quarter of a heart.

"Sit on your brother then" he replied in a softer tone than previously.

"Thanks daddy" Sarah replied politely.

Dean had to hand it to her, the kid was incredibly smart. He could almost see the cogs turning inside her head, she was on the mentality that if she was nice and polite to her father then he might not kill her after all.

"Come here Bear" Dean soothed as he held his arms out for his sister to sit on his lap.

"You kids must understand she's making me do this" Michael Portman turned his glare onto his wife.

Deep down he didn't want to hurt his kids but he really, really didn't want to go back to jail and be someone's bitch. The inmates seemed to love the white-collar crime prisoners.

"Dad why don't you just get on a plane and go somewhere safe? I'm not gonna tell anyone you were ever here, Sarah wont say anything and I'm sure mom won't tell either. No one knows you're even here" Dean tried his hand at reasoning.

"Three's too many Dean. I can't risk it" Michael Portman told his son.

Dean felt his heart sink. There really was no way out of this.

………………………………………………………………………….

"Not here either" Julie commented stating the obvious.

"No, I'm starting to think he's at his mom's after all. Do you think Fulton knows where she lives?" Allie asked feeling her hopes fading rapidly.

"I don't know. Hey lets try the rink lot and then we'll find Fulton" Julie suggested.

"How are you for juice?" Allie asked. She didn't want Julie riding around all day looking for Portman and wasting all her gas. Allie would compensate her of course but it would be a waste of Julie's time too if they didn't find him.

"3/4 of a tank left. Plenty, besides I'm worried about Portman too" Julie replied firmly reading Allie's mind.

"You know I should really get my license some time soon, if I ever find Portman I should get him to teach me" Allie tried lightening the mood.

Julie shook her head "NO! you'd end up killing each other, Charlie's teaching Linda how to drive and they now spend more time fighting over that than anything else"

Allie laughed "Good point, did you know that Adam's not even game enough to teach Connie to drive. Connie just thinks its because he doesn't want her to scratch his "other love"

"The Porsche!" Julie laughed. Connie was convinced that Adam loved his car more than he loved her. The truth was that Adam was plainly too scared to teach her to drive.

Julie pulled into the rink car park and they both spotted his pick up truck at the same time.

"THERE!" they both yelled.

"You know if his emergency was calling Fulton to come practice checking each other I'm going to kill him" Allie was wondering what was so important that he had to come here.

"And I'll be right behind you" Julie replied pulling up alongside Portman's truck and killing the engine.

Allie emerged from the car and peeked into Portman's truck.

She felt the warning bells going off when she saw the handbag tucked under the seat. It definitely wasn't the kind of bag that any of the girls at Eden Hall would own and it looked like it belonged to an older woman, possibly his mother.

"Jules something doesn't feel right" Allie called turning around.

She was surprised to find that Julie wasn't there.

"Yeah I know, come take a look at this" Julie was on the other side of Portman's truck.

Allie ran around the front of the truck to see what Julie meant.

"This car's just been left like this, the door was wide open" Julie exclaimed.

"Weird" Allie agreed checking the licence plates. They were Minnesota plates but that didn't mean much, the car could be a rental.

"I think we'd better be careful, something big might be going on" Julie looked towards the doors to the rink. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

"I agree, I just don't feel right about any of this" Allie replied.

"Its scary how we both think the same huh" Julie replied absently trying to stall before having to go into the rink.

"I know, come on lets go" Allie grabbed Julie's hand and they both tip toed towards the rink's entrance.

"You know if it turns out to be nothing we're gonna feel like the worlds biggest losers!" Allie whispered.

"I know, Fulton would never let me live it down" Julie replied thinking of her best friend.

"And you think Dean would let me?" Allie whispered.

"Not a chance in hell" Julie replied as Allie carefully opened the door trying not to make too much noise.

"I can hear people" Julie whispered as the girls inched closer to the ice.

"They don't sound happy whoever it is" Allie whispered back.

"Oh my god its Portman" Julie recognised only one of the people in the group.

"Where?" Allie hissed straining her neck to see over the edge of the rink.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed softly when she saw Portman and two women, one who was sitting on his lap and a much older woman next to them.

"Must be his mother and sister" Allie explained.

"Oh so who's the dude?" Julie asked. The girls hadn't see the pistol yet.

"Dunno, cant be his father" Allie assumed incorrectly.

"How come, he looks a bit like Portman" Julie noted.

"Well, um, promise you wont say anything but his dad's in jail for money laundering" Allie replied feeling guilty she'd just told one of Portman's secrets but she knew she could trust Julie.

"Wow!" Julie replied.

Allie snuck a look out onto the ice and this time she saw the gun being directed at Portman and the young girl on his lap.

"Julie, get to Orion's office and phone the police, that guy has a gun" Allie whispered as quietly as she could.

"What?" Julie hissed craning to get a better look.

She shrunk back down quickly "Oh my god" she repeated.

"Jules, go get the police" Allie repeated.

"I can't leave you here Allie, come with me" Julie pleaded getting a look of fear washing across her face.

"I'll be fine Jules, I promise, I have to make sure nothing happens to Portman or his family" Allie replied calmly. How she was going to do that she didn't know but she'd think of something.

"Promise me you'll be alive when I get back" Julie said seriously. She wasn't about to lose one of her best friends to a gun wielding maniac.

Allie smiled as bravely as she could "I promise" she replied.

Julie gave Allie's hand one last squeeze before she snuck off down the hallway towards the locker rooms where Orion's office was situated.

Allie turned back to the horrible scene before her.

What the hell could she do to stop the guy from doing anything stupid?

She tried to listen to what the guy was saying as she inched closer to the entrance gate to the ice. Maybe she could surprise him momentarily allowing Dean to the get the gun away from the guy.

Risky, but if the cops didn't get here soon someone was going to die!

"Get up!" she heard the guy say and her heart froze in her throat. Was he talking to her?

She waited a few seconds before peering over the barrier. He had been talking to Dean who was now shifting the girl off of his lap to stand up.

_Oh no!_ she thought feeling sick to her stomach, it was now or never.

She watched in horror as the man brought the gun up to Dean's head.

"Say goodnight Deanie" the man laughed.

That was all the confidence Allie needed to get moving. She launched herself through the entrance gate.

"NOOOOOOOO!" she screamed stunning the four Portmans standing out on the ice.

Dean reacted quickly as he realised that if he didn't act then it would be Allie that his father would shoot.

Dean lunged forward using his large hands to grab the gun.

His father took a second or two to realise what was happening before he fought back. By then the pair had crashed into the ice.

"BEANIE!" Sarah screamed running forward.

"No wait!" Allie yelled to the little girl. She had no idea what her name was.

The little girl stood frozen in fear looking from the fight scene unfolding in front of her to the pretty blonde girl standing with her arms held out in front of her.

Sarah was smart enough to realise that this girl was the Allie that Dean had been telling her about.

She ran straight for Allie ignoring her mother's calls.

She clutched on to the girls legs as Allie placed Sarah behind her.

Mrs Portman watched on in horror as her husband and son struggled for a bit longer until the chilling sound of a gun going off stunned the three women beyond belief.

Allie was the first one to react, trying to ignore the fact that none of the two men had moved since the gunshot, she turned to the crying girl.

"Sweetie, I'm Allie, I'm a friend of Dean's. What's your name?" she asked gently.

"Sarah" Sarah whispered.

"Sarah, gorgeous name. Listen to me Sarah, there's a girl down the hall in the office named Julie, she's another friend of Dean's. I want you to go to that gate, turn that way and follow the hallway right to the end. She'll be there calling the police. Tell her who you are and that I sent you to stay with her. Can you do that for me honey?" Allie tried to keep her voice as calm and as friendly as possible.

Sarah nodded.

"Good girl, I'll come and get you soon okay" Allie tried reassuring her.

"You promise?" Sarah asked scared stiff.

"I promise, and I keep my promises, you can ask Julie if you don't believe me" Allie smiled at the girl.

"Okay" Sarah finally smiled a little before turning around to walk carefully off of the ice and towards the direction of the office that Allie had showed her.

She paused and peered through the glass to make sure she was going the right way.

Allie nodded at her and she continued down the hall.

When she was no longer in sight Allie turned to the crumpled heap of Portman and the gun wielding guy on the ice.

"Are you okay?" she asked the lady who stared at her.

"Are you hurt?" Allie asked again.

The woman finally shook her head, no.

"Portman?" Allie called kneeling down on the ice beside her boyfriend.

He didn't answer so she tried the tactic of applying pressure to the nail bed of his thumb with her knuckles.

"Ow!" Portman replied finally.

"Don't scare me like that" Allie scolded as she helped him sit up.

She immediately started patting him down looking for the bullet hole.

"Baby as much as I love your hands all over me, I'm fine" Portman joked.

Allie relaxed as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank god" she exclaimed through tears kissing him on the cheek.

She turned to the other guy as was alarmed to see his chest still rising and falling.

She couldn't leave him here like this.

"He's alive" Allie commented leaving Portman's side to tend to the other man.

She noticed the pistol lying next to him. Using her left foot, she kicked the gun far away out of anyone's reach. One gunshot was more than enough for her.

Checking the man's body she found the gunshot located in his chest, dangerously close to his heart.

"Shit!" Allie exclaimed alarming both Mrs Portman and Dean as she ripped off her sweater and placed it under Mr Portman's head.

She then grabbed Dean's hand and placed it on the guy's bullet hole telling him to apply pressure.

Portman stared at her in astonishment.

"Baby I know he pointed a gun at you but I can't let him die" she explained.

Portman nodded wondering how it was possible that he had just fallen even more in love with her at that moment.

She had no idea the guy was Portman's father and she still wanted to save him even though he'd pointed a gun at him and his mother and sister and as about to pull the trigger.

"You saved my life Allie" Portman blurted out.

Allie smiled at him "What did you think I was gonna do? let the dude shoot you" she talked as she worked.

She leant her head down and checked the guys breathing. It was getting ragged and very faint.

She checked his pulse again, it too was diminishing.

If the paramedics didn't get here soon the man was going to die.

She kept one eye on Portman who was turning very white and the other eye on the man's vital signs.

When she noticed the man's chest had stopped moving and the raspy breathing could no longer be heard she immediately shoved Portman out of the way and started CPR.

Portman and his mother watched on as Allie had the strength and courage to give the guy mouth-to-mouth and attempt to massage the heart into pumping again.

Portman was feeling weaker and weaker by the second, the cold was finally getting to him as he sat back down on the ice. He wanted nothing more than to either wrap himself around Allie for warmth or get to the benches but his legs were failing him.

Mrs Portman was yet to say anything as the doors to the rink burst open and the police together with several paramedics arrived.

Allie filled the paramedics in on what had happened and what she'd been doing. They thanked her and took over.

She turned her attention back on to Portman just in time to see his eyes roll back into his head as he keeled over onto the ice with a thud.


	25. She hates me

_**A/N – someone will die in this chapter – read on to find out who.**_

Allie had collected Sarah from Orion's office as promised and the young girl hadn't been able to tear herself away from Allie ever since. Sarah was now curled up asleep in Allie's lap. It had been a long day for the young girl.

Allie had since learned that Sarah was Portman's sister, the older lady was his mother and the guy with the gun was his father.

Mrs Portman was being treated for shock and had yet to say anything to Allie but Allie couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Mrs Portman really didn't like her that much.

"Miss Taylor may I have a word with you for a minute please?" a doctor wearing surgical scrubs emerged from the double doors leading to the emergency room.

Allie shifted Sarah over to Julie and followed the doctor into a private room.

"I understand from the police that you were the one who initially treated a Michael Portman at the scene" the doctor flipped through his notes.

"Is that the guy who got shot?" Allie asked. She didn't know what the guys name was, only that he was Sarah and Dean's father.

"Yes" the doctor looked up at her.

"Well then yes I noticed he'd been shot after I'd checked that Dean hadn't been hurt" Allie replied wearily. This doctor was starting to sound really strange to her.

"Are you and Dean Portman close?" the doctor pressed on.

"I don't see what that's got to do with anything but yeah we are" Allie replied.

"Good well Dean's awake and he's been calling for you for quite some time now. I just had to make sure you were the right person" the doctor laughed as his little joke went down like a lead balloon.

_Geez doctors have the weirdest sense of humour_ Allie thought as what he'd just said sunk in. She'd honestly thought she was in some kind of trouble.

"Wait, Deans awake!" she exclaimed jumping up from her seat.

"Yes" the doctor confirmed.

"Can I see him?" she asked hopefully.

"We don't normally allow this as its family members only but since he's asked for no one else but you we'll make an exception just this once" the doctor said.

Allie felt like kissing the guy she was so happy. She'd been worried sick about Portman ever since he'd blacked out on the ice.

The doctor led her into the emergency cubicles and sure enough there was Portman giving the poor nurse hell.

"I need to see Allie" he was practically yelling.

"Calm down Mr Portman we'll see what we can do" the nurse sounded frustrated.

"I need to see her now" Portman persisted. Allie recognised his "frustrated" face.

"Leave the poor woman alone you big meanie" Allie laughed when Portman's face brightened up.

"Allie!" he exclaimed.

"Thank god you're here, he's been driving us nuts" the nurse rolled her eyes and laughed when she realised that Portman would no longer be bothering her with his requests.

"That's when you just dig the needle in a little deeper to get them to shut up" Allie whispered causing the nurse to laugh again.

"You should be a nurse!" she laughed collecting her tray of rubbish.

"Nah that would mean I'd have to put up with more than one big whinger like him" Allie laughed as the nurse left the cubicle.

"Baby be nice to me I'm in the hospital" Dean pouted.

Allie shook her head as she sat down on the edge of his bed "And I remember telling you not to scare me again so what do you do, you go and fall over and get yourself admitted"

Portman laughed when he saw she was joking then he suddenly turned serious.

"Have the police told you?" he asked.

"Told me what?" Allie replied. The police hadn't even interviewed her yet.

"He's dead. They couldn't save him" Portman said softly. He wasn't sure how he felt about the news. Sure the guy was his father but he'd just held his entire family hostage and was about to kill them.

"I'm so sorry" Allie replied laying next to him on the bed and wrapping her arms around him.

"Does my mom know?" Portman suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure, she hasn't said anything to me since we got here" Allie replied truthfully.

"I was afraid of that" Portman answered.

"Afraid of what?" Allie asked confused. Was there more to this story that she didn't know about.

"Remember how I told you that Danielle had gone and told my mom that she was my girlfriend?"

Allie nodded slowly "Yes"

"Well my mom really liked her and don't take this personally babe cos its just the way she is but she gets ideas into her head that I should be with whoever _she _wants me to be with, and she wanted me to be with Danielle" Portman explained wrapping his arms around Allie even tighter for comfort.

"Personally I couldn't think of anything worse but yeah, I was afraid she was gonna be funny with you, I'm sorry" Portman soothed as he stroked her hair.

"Its okay but do you ever listen to your mom?" Allie asked cheekily.

"Pft as if, if I want you I'm gonna have you" Portman said firmly.

"Oh is that right?" Allie challenged with a slight smirk.

"Damn straight it is" Portman ignored the pain in his left shoulder as he leant across to kiss his girl.

"Hello?" Fulton's soft voice came on the phone.

"Fult? Its Julie, um I don't know how to say this but Portman's been hurt" Julie twisted the phone cord in between her fingers. How do you tell someone their best friend in the entire world has been hurt.

"Jules you have to be kidding" Fulton's voice was on the other end of the phone.

Julie took a deep breath before answering.

"No I'm serious Fult, he's in the hospital, I think you'd better get down here now" Julie explained ignoring the impatient tapping of the foot of a guy standing behind her.

_That is so damn rude_ Julie thought.

"Should I bring the Ducks?" Fulton asked knowing that Charlie would have a coronary if he was the last one to find out.

"Yeah good idea, I think Allie might be in there with him right now but the Ducks always cheer everyone up" Julie agreed.

The guy shoved his wrist in Julie's face and tapped his watch.

"I can tell time you moron, but I was here first so wait your turn!" Julie lost her temper.

"Huh?" Fulton asked confused.

Julie waited for the guy to retreat several steps before she answered.

"Nothing just an incredibly rude man trying to interrupt our conversation, so anyway yeah, round up the Ducks cos they'll want to know about it" Julie continued.

"Okay then I'll see you soon Jules" Fulton said softly before he hung up the phone.

"Bye Fult" she said to the dial tone.

She actually had half a mind to continue talking into the phone just to piss the asshole behind her off but instead she hung up the phone.

"Its about time, some of us have _important_ phone calls to make" the guy said rudely as he pushed past Julie.

"Jackass" Julie muttered as she walked back to the waiting area. As much as she would love to introduce the guys face to her fist she'd promised Sarah she wouldn't be too long making the call.

"Hey guys the rinks been blocked off by the cops, lots of important looking people, heaps of that yellow tape they use on CSI, its freakin' awesome!" Averman exclaimed breathlessly as he burst through the doors to the common room where majority of the Ducks were congregated.

"What!" Adam exclaimed. If the police had sealed the rink then they wouldn't be able to practice tomorrow afternoon.

Connie poked him in the ribs; she knew exactly what Adam was thinking.

"Do you know what happened?" Charlie asked before Adam had a chance to say "ow!"

Before Averman could answer the question Fulton burst through the door.

"Guys Julie called, Portman's in the hospital" Fulton was out of breath.

"What?" Adam exclaimed again. This time it was a question rather than an outburst.

The others just stared open mouthed at Fulton.

"Come on lets go!" Connie urged the rest of the Ducks to quit staring and move it.

In true Ducks style they eventually made it to the hospital after numerous arguments about who was driving and who was riding with who so now Charlie and Linda weren't speaking, Connie was on the verge of decking Averman and Adam was still bummed that the rink had been blocked off.

Upon seeing the half happy half annoyed group, Julie had enough sense not to ask what took them so long.

"How is he?" Fulton rushed up to her.

"He's okay I think, I don't know they haven't said anything and Allie hasn't come back yet" Julie explained gently patting Fulton's arm.

"Where'd Allie go?" Sarah interrupted suddenly realising that she wasn't there. She'd been asleep when the doctor had taken Allie to see Portman.

"She's with Dean right now sweetie" Julie explained gently.

"Allie's sister?" Fulton cast a quick glance down to the young girl.

"No Portman's can't you see the resemblance?" Julie raised her eyebrow at Fulton, was he really that dumb?

"Oh yeah, right. Hi I'm Fulton" Fulton said to the little girl sitting next to Julie.

"I know, you're Beanie's friend" Sarah replied trying not to giggle when she saw Fulton's eyes boggle when she used Dean's nickname.

"That's right honey" Julie replied softly.

She looked over at Fulton and was gutted to see him looking so down. It was easy to see he was deep in thought. She let him be for the moment.

"Damn it why didn't he say anything" Fulton cursed suddenly sinking down on the chair next to Julie's.

"He probably didn't want to scare anyone, not even Allie knew about this" Julie explained.

Fulton nodded glumly acknowledging that he thought Julie was right. If Allie didn't know then Portman had wanted to keep it to himself.

Still, it didn't stop him from being worried about his friend.

"Hey he's fine" Julie placed an arm around Fulton's shoulder. She tried not to let the hurt show as he shied away from her.

"Jules, what about Jesse?" Fulton asked uncomfortably. He didn't want to step on anyone's toes. He'd had enough fights lately to last him a lifetime.

"He's got one of his many girlfriends to look after him. I'm just glad I'm not one of them" Julie said laughing softly when she saw Fulton's expression. At first it was disbelief, then anger, then amusement and now relief.

"I think I'm back with Scooter though" she explained gently waiting for Fulton to react. She didn't want to keep secrets from him.

The reaction wasn't what she expected.

"That's great Jules" Fulton replied with a genuine smile.

"You really mean that?" she asked.

"I really mean it, you guys were, I mean are great together" Fulton replied. He knew Scooter made Julie happy.

"Thanks Fult" Julie gave Fulton a quick hug.

Things were back on track for the two friends.

Mrs Portman stared at the doors leading to where her son was.

She was annoyed that the doctor had taken that little tramp to see Dean and not her. Didn't they know a boy needed his mother?

She glanced over at her daughter who had pried herself away from that Julie girl and was now watching the rest of the unruly teenagers congregate in the waiting area with great interest.

Honestly, her Deanie couldn't possibly associate with such filth. If she had've known she would have never allowed him to come to Eden Hall.

"I'd better go, I bet your mom's dying to see how you are" Allie reluctantly sat up well aware that the doctors had bent the rules for her and she didn't want to get anyone into trouble.

"Well I'm dying to see you" Portman faked a cough.

"Nice try" Allie laughed kissing his forehead.

"Was worth a shot" Portman sulked.

"I'll come back later, try not to annoy the nurses baby" Allie laughed giving him one more kiss before she left the room.

Portman stared after her.

That's the girl I'm gonna marry one day 

It was nice having her around to take his mind off of his father's death. The news was shocking yet relieving at the same time. As awful as that sounded Portman had to remind himself that his father was three seconds away from killing him when Allie screamed and stopped him.

_Yeah but its my fault he got shot and killed, I practically pulled the trigger._

Portman couldn't help but blame himself. If he hadn't have struggled with his father then maybe he'd still be alive and him and Sarah would have two parents and his mother would still have a husband.

Sarah's probably better off without a father like that anyway 

Portman wished he could turn off the little 'voices' in his head that were having an argument. One half of him felt like it was his fault that his father was dead and the other half was telling him that it wasn't his fault and that they were all better off anyway.

He leant back into his bed and waited for whoever the next visitor was.

Fulton's head snapped up when he heard the doors opening.

He was relieved to find it was Allie walking out.

"Allie!' the Ducks gathered around her asking questions.

"How is he?" and "What happened?" seemed to be the main ones.

"He's fine" Allie would only answer the first question. It was up to Portman to tell the others what happened.

"Mrs Portman?" Allie gently approached the older woman.

"Yes" Mrs Portman snapped. Allie tried not to let it worry her too much after remembering what Portman had told her. _Stupid Danielle again!_ Allie thought bitterly.

"Dean wants to see you" Allie replied softly. She didn't dare touch the older woman.

"Come on Sarah lets go see Dean" Mrs Portman called to her daughter who'd wrapped herself around Allie's legs again.

"Is he okay? He's not like all lying there with tubes hanging out is he?" Sarah asked Allie fearfully.

Allie laughed "No sweetie he's fine. He'll probably be home in a day or two" she reassured the young girl.

She watched the pair go into the emergency room waiting for the doors to close again before she collapsed down next to Fulton.

"You okay?" Fulton asked worried about his friend's girl.

"Yeah, long day" Allie replied feeling the adrenaline leaving her body. Instead of feeling good like she had when she was with Dean she now felt heavy and tired.

She felt Fulton's arm wrap around her shoulders and his voice whispering.

"Want me to wake you when he calls for you?" he asked.

Allie nodded "Thanks Fulton" she replied knowing exactly why Julie had him as one of her best friends.

She closed her eyes and relaxed into Fulton's shoulder. He smelled similar to Portman and wondered whether he used the same cologne.

After what seemed like thirty seconds but was actually an hour and a half later the doors burst open startling Allie awake.

She rubbed her eyes trying to focus on the screaming woman who was coming towards her.

It took her a few seconds to wake up and realise that it was Mrs Portman screaming obscenities at her.

Dean was fully clothed trying to restrain his mother and Sarah was crying her eyes out.

"What's going on?" Allie asked thoroughly confused.

Mrs Portman waved a finger in her face and got so close that their noses were just inches apart.

"You listen to me girly and you listen good, you killed my husband and I wont let you get away with it" she threatened loud enough for Allie, Portman, Sarah and the rest of the Ducks to hear.


	26. My Best Friends Girlfriend

Allie was horrified. She felt glued to the spot, _damn it legs run!_ She ordered feeling every pair of sympathetic eyes boring into her soul, as she stood there dumbfounded.

"Mom" Portman started but was stopped by Allie shaking her head. She wasn't going to make him choose between her and his mother. She was just going to have to deal with it.

"Dean lets go" Mrs Portman snapped dragging Sarah along behind her. The woman was completely oblivious to the death glares the rest of the Ducks were sending her, especially Julie and Fulton.

"I have to go" Portman said quietly to Allie.

"I know, I'll see you later" Allie managed to get out. She was trying her hardest not to cry in front of anyone. They couldn't know that the words of his mother had gotten to her; it would just make things worse. Besides she's upset because she's just lost her husband.

"I love you" he whispered and leant in to kiss her cheek. He almost got there before his mother interrupted.

"NOW DEAN!" she bellowed outraged that her son was attempting to kiss the girl who, in her opinion, killed his father.

"Go" Allie told him as he shot her a torn look. She hated seeing him look like that.

The Ducks remained silent as Allie watched Portman's retreating back. Every so often he'd look back at the group.

When Portman was no longer visible, Allie made a bolt for the exit, ignoring the Ducks calling after her. All she wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

She ignored the looks from the other pedestrians as she ran down the street still covered in blood.

Stopping every now and then to catch her breath as she ran the 12 blocks from the hospital to Eden Hall she made it back to her dorm room carefully checking the hallway to make sure there were no Ducks lurking outside her door.

Satisfied that no one was there she opened the door and entered, shutting it behind her where she collapsed against it and sunk to the floor.

She stared ahead numbly not having the inclination nor the energy to move. She replayed the scene in the waiting room over again in her head and this was enough to bring her to tears.

She just let them come, one after another they flooded out releasing all of the pent up emotion she'd been carrying ever since she'd left the hospital.

And that was how Hayley and her new boyfriend had found her when they returned to the dorm.

"Hey what the? Allie? Linda? Are you there? Something's jamming the door" Hayley called through the tiny gap Hayley had managed to create.

Allie shifted so that she was now against the wall rather than the door as she let her roommate and best friend in.

"Allie?" Hayley asked seeing her friend on the floor against the wall.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Hayley became increasingly concerned when she saw Allie's face when she looked up at her. Then she noticed the blood on her hands and clothing and Hayley became alarmed.

Allie didn't respond, all she could do was just stare blankly at Hayley.

"Shit! Um I'm gonna go get her boyfriend, can you please stay with her for a few minutes, I'll be right back" Hayley asked her boyfriend Paul who was on the school's swim team.

Paul nodded glancing at Allie awkwardly. He'd never dealt with a girl dilemma before and it scared the shit out of him, especially since the girl was covered in blood.

He took a step into the room and cautiously sat down in front of Allie leaving a rather large gap in between them. If she suddenly lashed out then there was a good chance he could move in time.

Allie looked over at him feeling bad for him at having to babysit his girlfriend's roommate whilst she was having a breakdown.

"Um hi" he tried to break the ice when he saw her look at him.

"Hi" Allie replied looking back down at her shoes.

"PORTMAN! OPEN UP!" Hayley banged on the door to the Bash Brother's dorms.

She continued banging in a frenzied panic until the door flew open and a pissed off Fulton answered with.

"For fucks sake he's not here" before realising who it was.

"What do you want?" he asked sourly.

Hayley ignored the icy reception "Where's Portman?" she asked.

"Not here, probably with his stupid fucking mother, why?" Fulton was still angry at Portman's mother for what she'd said to Allie at the hospital.

"Damn, um do you have his number, its really urgent" Hayley asked.

"Is it Allie? Is something wrong?" Fulton was getting the idea now and he was worried.

"I don't know" Hayley answered realising she actually didn't know what was going on. All she was thinking about was that Portman would be able to calm her down, well comfort her since Allie seemed so calm that it was kinda scary.

"Where is she?" Fulton demanded pushing Hayley back so he could leave the room.

"In our dorm" Hayley replied half surprised that Fulton was rushing to her roommate's rescue and glad at the same time that he was sort of being civil to her. Something she thought would never ever happen again.

The pair raced across the courtyard towards the girls dorm building with Fulton miles ahead of Hayley.

He was the first to arrive in the dorm demanding that Paul tell him who the hell he was and what the hell he was doing in the room.

"Fulton he's with me" Hayley arrived amidst the yelling.

"Oh sorry" Fulton realised his mistake when Hayley went over to the guy and kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for staying with Allie until she came back.

Fulton looked at Allie who was still on the floor with her legs curled up to her chest. She had the same vacant stare and her cheeks were stained with dried tears. Fulton had never seen her look so upset before.

"Allie?" he whispered kneeling in front of her.

Allie didn't respond, she kept staring at the floor.

Fulton reached out and touched her shoulder. Allie tried blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill out but it didn't work.

Fulton put his other hand on her other shoulder and this set her off. She started sobbing uncontrollably as Fulton pulled her into his arms.

Hayley watched as her ex-boyfriend consoled her best friend. It broke her heart to see Allie like that and for her to be crying like that it must have been pretty bad.

"That's it, let it all out" Fulton prompted as he pulled the girl into his lap and rocked her back and forth as she wept. He had the thought that with all the stress of the earlier incidents and trying to save Portman's father, the completely unnecessary comments by Portman's mother was definitely the straw that broke Allie's back.

Paul turned to Hayley and whispered "Um.. maybe I should go"

Hayley looked up at him and realised how uncomfortable he looked.

"Okay" Hayley replied "Um I think I might just leave these two alone for a little while too" she decided that it might be best to let Fulton calm her friend down on his own.

Hayley went over to her friend "I'll be back in a little while okay honey" she said as she kissed her friend's hair.

Allie nodded, keeping her face buried in Fulton's shoulder.

"Hey guys!" Linda's bright voice came through the door. Hayley caught her before she ventured in too far and pushed her back out into the hallway.

"Um it might be a good idea if you went and found Charlie for a while" Hayley indicated to the two figures on the floor.

"Is that Fulton?" Linda asked with wide eyes. Hayley knew what she was thinking.

"Yeah but its not what you think, something really bad has happened and Portman's not around" Hayley whispered closing the door to their dorm.

"What happened?" Linda asked.

Hayley shrugged "I dunno, she's not talking"

"Maybe Charlie knows" Linda thought about how her boyfriend always knew what was going on.

"Wanna tag along?" Linda threw Hayley a bone sensing that the girl was dying to know what was going on.

Hayley nodded "You coming too?" she asked Paul who was trying to conceal his eagerness.

The scene in the room between Fulton and Allie had intrigued him, especially when he realised that Hayley's roommate was the girl who was dating Dean Portman and the guy was Dean Portman's best friend.

"She said WHAT?" Linda was fuming.

Charlie had just told the three students the whole story, starting at Julie's story about Portman's weird behaviour at the airport to the scene that her and Allie had found at the rink to the scene at the hospital and everything in between.

"Man no wonder she's so upset" Paul put his two cents in.

Charlie gave him a _and you are?_ look but he didn't question it.

"And Fulton's with her now?" Charlie asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, he's the only one who's really calming her down" Hayley replied still feeling a little disturbed at the way he was holding her and kissing the top of her head as he whispered stuff to her.

"So Portman's gone with his mom?" Hayley asked in disbelief.

"Only cos Allie told him to" Charlie stuck up for his friend and teammate.

"Sounds just like her doesn't it?" Linda tried to nip the brewing fight in the bud while she had the chance.

"Yeah it does" Hayley agreed.

"So we're gonna get a couple of pizzas and just hang out, you guys wanna join us?" Charlie invited Hayley and Paul to hang out with the Ducks. Linda was automatically invited of course.

Hayley looked at Paul who shrugged.

"Sure, thanks Spazzie" Hayley laughed.

"Watch it cheerleader" Charlie warned half joking. Spazzway was one nickname he really hated.

"Mom you had no right to say that to her" Dean was tired of listening to his mother bag Allie. Sarah had long retreated off to bed saying she was tired. Dean couldn't blame her.

"It's the truth isn't it? If she hadn't have meddled then your father would still be alive" Mrs Portman was firm in her belief that Allie Taylor had killed her husband.

"And if she hadn't have screamed then I'd be dead, and you'd be dead and Sarah would be dead" Portman tried the shock approach with her but it wasn't working.

"Your father would never have pulled the trigger" Mrs Portman replied.

"Are you insane? Of course he would have, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill us and you know it" Portman was starting to raise his voice.

"Don't you raise your voice with me young man, I am your mother and you will respect me" Mrs Portman snapped.

"Sorry" Portman sighed as he sunk down into the armchair feeling defeated. He wasn't going to win this fight.

"How are you feeling now?" Fulton asked after two hours of consoling and comforting.

"Hungry actually" Allie replied in a hoarse voice causing Fulton to laugh.

"Ducks are having pizza, wanna go get some?" Fulton asked.

Allie shook her head "Nah I don't think I can be around lots of people right now, especially the Ducks, no offence but I don't think I can handle them walking on eggshells around me scared stiff they'll say the wrong thing. That and its guaranteed it'll end up in a fight because someone will say something the others think is wrong"

"I understand and I'd put money on Goldberg and/or Averman to make the stupid comment" Fulton laughed kind of feeling glad that she didn't want to be around the rest of the Ducks right now.

As much as he'd never admit it, he was starting to enjoy being the one that Allie wanted to be around.

He stole a glance at her and realised that he thought she was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, even with all the blood and the tear stains.

_Dude stop it, she's your best friend's girlfriend!_ He scolded squishing down any urge he felt to lean over and kiss her.

"Fulton why are you looking at me like that?" Allie asked before she looked at her hands and realised she was still covered in someone else's blood.

"Oh sorry, no wonder. I think I'd better go have a shower and get changed. You wanna hang out here for a while?" she added.

_Phew that was a close one_ Fulton thought as Allie had just provided him with a cover.

"Um yeah okay" Fulton choked out trying to keep his cool as she smiled at him and moved off of the bed to gather her shower stuff and some clean clothes.

"Make yourself at home, I'll be right back" Allie told him as she left the room.

Fulton let out the breath he was holding.

_Get a grip Fulton, she'll never be yours_.

"Isn't Mr Bash the Bash Man coming?" Goldberg asked between mouthfuls of pizza. He used the nickname Fulton had given himself when he told Goldberg and Charlie that Portman was staying in Chicago.

"Doesn't look like it" Charlie replied taking another slice of the pepperoni with extra cheese pizza.

"Oh well more pizza for me" Goldberg replied laughing at the protests the other Ducks put up when they realised he was calling dibs on Fulton's slices.

"So how is she?" Julie asked Hayley quietly.

"Not too good, Fulton's the only one she'll talk to" Hayley replied.

"If anyone can make her feel better Fulton can" Julie replied smiling.

Her smile was quickly replaced by a frown "God I wanted so badly to kick that woman's ass"

"If I knew where she lived I'd go kick her ass right now" Hayley replied.

"Hey wanna find out?" Julie asked with a cheeky glint in her eye.

Before Hayley could accept Charlie stepped in.

"No ass kicking tonight girls" he warned.

"Aw why'd you have to go and ruin the fun?" Julie pouted.

"Yeah Charlie, I reckon we go and TP her house" Averman stood behind Julie and Hayley and held his fist up in a gesture of a united front.

Julie and Hayley rolled their eyes and laughed.

"You'd TP a house that belongs to _Portman's mother_ whilst _Portman _is in it?" Charlie was attempting to be the voice of reason.

"Oh yes, the giant man I'm afraid of, I forgot about him" Averman retreated back to his seat next to Kenny who rolled his eyes and took another bite of his pizza.

"I think Allie'd probably kick all of our asses if we did anything to Mrs Portman, you know what she's like" Charlie reasoned.

This got the agreement of the rest of the Ducks.

"Doesn't make it right though" Luis spoke up. He too was thoroughly disgusted at the way Mrs Portman acted.

"What she said I mean" Luis added for those Ducks who were confused as to whether he meant that Allie kicking their asses was wrong or what Mrs Portman said was wrong.

"Here, here!" Goldberg held his cup of coke up in the air.

The rest of the Ducks, plus Linda, Hayley and Paul did the same thing.

"Well that's a first, we all actually agree on something" Connie commented from Adam's lap.

"Oh shut up Moreau" Charlie laughed.

"So what do you feel like?" Fulton asked when Allie returned.

He could feel and hear his stomach rumbling as it told him that he was hungry.

"I dunno, do you just wanna go for a walk downtown and get whatever?" Allie asked.

Fulton nodded "Sounds like a plan"

"Well where is she then?" Portman asked getting frustrated.

He'd returned to Eden Hall against the wishes of his mother and had headed straight for Allie's dorm. No one was there.

He then tried his own dorm. No one was there either.

He then went to the common room to find the Ducks (minus Fulton) and Linda, Hayley and some other dude he didn't know sitting around laughing and eating pizza.

"Linda and Hayley left her in the dorm with Fulton" Charlie spoke up. He was the only one game enough to.

"Well she's not there now, so where is she?" Portman asked again.

"Wait? She's with _Fulton?_" Portman realised what Charlie had actually said.

"I guess so, if he's not at his own dorm and he's not here then I guess he's with her" Charlie tensed up waiting for the explosion.

Surprisingly there was none "Oh okay then" Portman shrugged as he took a seat next to Julie.

The rest of the Ducks exchanged worried glances.

Of course Averman couldn't resist speaking up "Okay, who are you and where's the real Dean Portman?" he asked narrowing his eyes as he interrogated.

"Huh?" Portman replied.

"You heard me you impostor!" Averman accused.

"Averman did they put magic mushrooms on your pizza again?" Portman asked surprised he didn't have the urge to kick his ass like he normally would.

"That would explain a lot you know" Averman pondered the suggestion.

"He has a point though, you do seem really mellow" Julie said softly.

"Well Jules, if she had to be out with anyone then I'm glad its Fulton, I know he'll look after her" Portman explained.

Hayley and Linda exchanged glances. If only Portman had seen what they had seen.

"I can't believe you wanted M&Ms for dinner. You're like the only chick that would ever do that" Fulton stared at Allie as she proceeded to eat the entire contents of a large bag of peanut M&Ms.

"Yeah and I'm still hungry" Allie complained as she tossed the empty packet into a nearby trashcan.

Fulton did a double take. _How the hell did she stay so skinny?_ He wondered discreetly letting his eyes wander over her legs, backside and torso in admiration.

_Portman's a lucky dude_ he thought as he followed her into take-away shop that served Mexican food.

He entered in time to hear her order a large serving of nachos with everything on it.

"Fulton do you want anything?" she asked and her smile was almost enough to have him reply with _you_.

"Um, I'll have a beef & bean burrito" Fulton quickly replied turning away before she could see him blush.

The pair wandered over to a nearby park and sat down to eat their food in silence. Fulton watched in awe as Allie tucked away the whole thing.

"Okay now I'm stuffed!" she declared wiping her mouth with the napkin and gathering up her trash and shoving it into the bag that the shop had provided.

"Me too" Fulton had finished his burrito and helped her clean up the mess they'd made.

He accidentally brushed her hand and he retracted it quickly getting ready to say sorry when he realised that she hadn't even noticed the contact at all.

Fulton looked at his watch and realised that they had to get moving otherwise they'd miss curfew.

"We'd better go, curfews in 10" he announced.

"Oh okay" Allie replied standing up and dusting the grass and dirt off of her pants.

They arrived back at Eden Hall, Fulton with his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets and Allie holding her stomach as she started to feel the food churning around in her stomach.

Allie let out a rather large burp and immediately began laughing.

"Sorry! I'm such a pig" she laughed.

Fulton started laughing too. _Man this has got to be the coolest girl in the world_.

"Better out than in, I say" Fulton laughed.

"That is so true" Allie replied as they arrived at her dorm room.

She could see the light under the door which indicated that at least one of her roommates were in.

"Hey thanks for everything. I really needed that" Allie's face grew serious.

"I'm glad I was here" Fulton replied softly starting to feel embarrassed. He always got this way whenever anyone praised him for something good he'd done.

"Sorry for getting your shirt wet" Allie replied shyly.

"Hey I don't need to wash it now so you did me a favour" Fulton joked.

"Ha ha" Allie replied as she reached up and gave him a hug.

Fulton placed his arms around her, hugging her back.

"Thanks again Fulton. I know why Julie and Dean love you so much" she said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Fulton didn't say anything but his blush did all the talking.

"Night Fult" Allie said thinking he was blushing for what she'd just said about Portman and Julie.

"Night Allie" Fulton replied shoving his hands into his pockets once again as she disappeared into the dorm room.


	27. Grand Gestures & Count Torture

Allie had been pretty much avoiding Portman for the rest of the week. She felt guilty for doing so but at the same time she really didn't want him to feel like he was going behind his mother's back by seeing her.

So that would be why she had tucked herself away in the school's music room singing her frustrations out. No one was around and even if they were she'd just tell them she was practising for something.

She had her Tool CD cranked up as loud as it would go. The track "Stinkfist" had come on and it didn't escape her attention that it was the same song Portman had as his ring tone.

_Something has to change_   
_Un-deniable dilemma__  
__Boredom's not a burden__  
__Anyone should bear__  
__Constant over stimulation numbs me__  
__But I would not want you__  
__Any other way_

She grabbed the microphone out of its stand and started jumping around to relieve the tension as she belted out the words.

_  
__It's not enough__  
__I need more__  
__Nothing seems to satisfy__  
__I don't want it__  
__I just need it__  
__To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive__   
_

She loved the angry tone of the last part as she screamed the last sentence knowing that if she didn't calm it down a notch or two then she'd probably blow her voice out.

_Finger deep within the borderline__  
__Show me that you love me and that we belong together__   
__Relax, turn around and take my hand__  
_

She hadn't noticed that she'd attracted a small audience at the windows to the music room.

_I can help you change__  
__Tired moments into pleasure__  
__Say the word and we'll be__  
__Well upon our way__  
_

_Blend and balance__  
__Pain and comfort__  
__Deep within you__  
__Till you will not want me any other way__   
_

A lot of the student body had heard about the Allie/Portman situation via the indirect gossip of the Ducks. Students at Eden Hall had long since learned that if they wanted to hear the best gossip then it was wise to eavesdrop on the Ducks at their lunch table. And the Ducks, of course, were oblivious to the fact that practically everyone had been listening to them bitch and moan about what Portman's mother had said to Allie at the hospital last week.

_It's not enough__  
__I need more__  
__Nothing seems to satisfy__  
__I don't want it__  
__I just need it__  
__To feel, to breathe, to Know I'm alive__   
_

Allie smiled as the angry tones came again. She didn't scream it as loud this time though.

_Knuckle deep inside the borderline__  
__This may hurt a little but it's something you'll get used to__   
__Relax, slip away__  
_

_Something kinda sad about__  
__The way that things have come to be__   
__Desensitized to everything__  
__What became of subtlety?__  
__How can this mean anything to me__  
__If I really don't feel anything at all?__   
_

She was starting to sweat from all the jumping around but she kept going, putting more effort into it as another heavy part came up.

_I'll keep digging__  
__Till I feel something__  
_

She made a mental note to herself to resume learning the guitar. _How awesome would this song sound live?_ She thought to herself as the guitars and drums played the tune.

_Elbow deep inside the borderline__  
__Show me that you love me and that we belong together__   
__Shoulder deep within the borderline__  
__Relax, turn around and take my hand_

She was surprised, if not a little embarrassed when she heard applause. She whipped around to find her music teacher, majority of her music class and Fulton clapping from the doorway.

"Nice moves Ozzy" a boy from her class piped up.

"Actually its Maynard but I'll let that one slide" Allie joked regaining her compusre. She laughed at his confused face. Fulton also burst out laughing. He knew who Maynard Keenan was.

"Wasn't that Ozzy Osbourne?" the guy asked.

"Nope that my friend was Tool" Allie fought all urge to roll her eyes. Majority of these preps thought that everything hard sounding was Ozzy Osbourne simply because that was all they knew, thanks in large part to MTV.

"Well whatever that was it was simply amazing" her music teacher gushed.

It was Allie's turn to blush. Fortunately she could hide it and say it was from jumping around like a dickhead.

"Dude you're freaking awesome" Fulton walked up to her with a huge grin on his face.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You only liked it cos it was one of your favourite bands" Allie laughed.

"True but still, you have a great voice" Fulton sat down next to her.

"So what brings you to the jock forbidden zone?" Allie asked changing the subject.

"Well the sound of Tool emerging from the walls was kinda transfixing, if not it provoked my curiosity as to who has such great taste in music" Fulton laughed.

"Aw are you disappointed it was me and not some dream girl you were hoping for?" Allie asked pretending to look pained.

"Yeah now go find her for me!" Fulton demanded with a point of his finger.

"Hey I found Hayley" Allie pointed out before she realised what she'd just said.

"Yeah my bad" she replied and they both laughed.

"So how come you're not talking to Portman?" Fulton slipped the question in the conversation.

Allie stared hard at him.

"Did he send you here?" she asked. She wasn't mad about it just curious.

"No he's in detention for telling Danielle to fuck off again" Fulton laughed recalling the incident in the hallway.

"What'd she do this time?" Allie asked.

"Oh nothing she just had to give him her condolences for his father and then she dropped the bombshell that his mother had called her and told her what had happened. _Then_ she told him that if he needed to talk then she was there for him" Fulton suddenly wished he hadn't said the part about his mother calling his ex-girlfriend.

"Oh" Allie said softly hanging her head. So now his mother was trying to force Danielle on Portman. Could this get any worse?

"Sorry I shouldn't have said that" Fulton looked like he was ready to kick himself.

"No its okay, that's why I haven't really talked to him" Allie admitted. Damn it, why was there something about Fulton that just made her want to spill her guts?

"His mother? Yeah that's what I thought it was about. You know he's not listening to anything she tells him right?" Fulton forced himself to say it, and then he scolded himself for being so damn selfish. _Its not you that she's in love with_ he told himself.

"Yeah I know but it doesn't make it any easier on him" Allie replied sadly.

Fulton was about to answer when the music teacher spoke up.

"Mr Reed as much as I love having one of our hockey stars in my classroom, unless you have some musical talent I must ask you to leave" she said with a smile.

Allie laughed as Fulton turned bright red when he realised the entire class was now staring at him.

"Hey! I can burp the alphabet does that count?" Fulton replied suddenly feeling his confidence rising. He realised he sounded just like Charlie or Goldberg. Oh well may as well keep up the Ducks façade of being the jokesters of the school.

"Sadly no" the teacher replied shaking her head.

"Well I guess I'll see you later then" Fulton turned to Allie and gave her a quick smile before jumping up and exiting the room burping "A", "B", "C", "D". He got to the letter "G" when he shut the door behind him.

The rest of the class was in hysterics at Fulton's antics.

_That is so unlike him_ Allie thought shaking her head with a smile as she watched his dark head hover through the window as he walked down the hall.

"Ah Mr Portman how nice to see you, again" the teacher crossed Dean's name off of the list of detainees for the afternoon.

Portman didn't reply as he made his way to the back of the classroom where he heavily sat down next to Charlie.

"What are you doing in here Captain?" Portman asked. He looked around the room, Adam, Connie and Averman were all in the room too.

"Prank gone bad" Charlie replied not elaborating further.

"Oh" Portman replied getting out his hockey magazine.

"He looks so sad" Connie nudged Adam.

"Well I'd be sad if you avoided me for a week" Adam whispered back.

"Aw how sweet" Connie replied momentarily forgetting about what the conversation was about.

"I wonder if she'll ever talk to him again?" Connie suddenly asked remembering what she'd been talking about before Adam had made her fall in love with him all over again.

"She will, she's not really the type to hold grudges. Unless you did something _really_ bad to her like that stupid Josh guy did" Adam recalled the incident from freshman year.

The pair didn't realise that Portman could hear every word they were saying.

Portman's blood boiled at the mention of Josh's name. He remembered the incident all too well. The only good thing about it was that it provided him with a chance of her actually being nice to him after all those failed attempts at getting her attention.

Maybe that's what he'll have to do, go to desperate lengths to gain her attention again. Well it wasn't really her attention he'd lost but it was worth a shot wasn't it?

He threw his hockey magazine to Charlie who was practically foaming at the mouth trying to read it over Portman's shoulder.

"Thanks man" Charlie grinned as he claimed his prize.

Portman began making a list instead. A list of things he could do to get himself noticed.

"What the hell?" Allie arrived at her dorm room to find a giant stuffed polar bear sitting at her door.

She picked it up thinking that it was for either Linda or Hayley and was shocked when she picked up the card and saw her name on it.

She quickly unlocked the door and dragged the bear inside. The bear came up to her armpits and she shook her head when she saw that it was from Portman.

She read the card.

_Allie,_

_I know you probably hate me right now for all the nasty things my mom has said and done and I'm so sorry for making all of this trouble._

_I thought you could do with a friend and since you don't, can't or won't talk to me this guy might be able to help._

_I love you baby._

_Portman_

_PS, Charlie says the bear's name is 'Gretzky' (you know Charlie)._

Allie laughed out loud. Yeah it sure was just like Charlie to want to name it after one of his heroes. She was surprised that he didn't want to name it Bombay.

She reread the note again pausing to stare at the four words "I love you baby".

She felt the tears stinging behind her eyes. She knew it wasn't really fair to Portman to keep avoiding him but she couldn't help it. She knew deep down that the second she saw him she'd break down and it wasn't fair for him to see that either.

"Hey Allie, oh my god what the hell is that?" Hayley entered the room pausing dramatically to point at the giant stuffed polar bear sitting next to Allie's bed.

"Present from Portman" Allie laughed at Hayley's grinning face.

"That thing is huge" she stated "Can I touch it?" she asked.

Allie laughed again "Yeah, seriously its not going to bite you, unless the fake fur has teeth"

Hayley rushed over to the bear running her hand over it and finally squeezing it in a hug as she danced around the room with it.

"This is so freaking awesome!" she squealed.

Allie shook her head. As much as she loved her best friend Hayley could be really weird at times.

"Hey guys, I just found this outside, I think it belongs to you" Linda entered the room pausing to raise an eyebrow at Hayley still dancing around with the giant stuffed animal.

Allie looked surprised as Linda handed her a long box.

She looked over the card.

Baby 

_If the bear didn't cheer you up then these might_

Love Portman 

She undid the ribbon around the box and lifted the lid to find a dozen red long stemmed roses.

"Oh my god" Allie breathed causing her two roommates to rush forward.

"Oh they're so beautiful" Linda gushed.

"Yeah, wow Portman's going all out on this one" Hayley commented eyeing the roses.

"Yeah, I guess I'd better go talk to him then" Allie said softly secretly dreading the conversation she was about to have with him.

"Good luck, I'll put these in water for you" Linda said gently patting her on the arm.

"Thanks" Allie said slowly rising from the bed and walking out the door.

"Hey" Fulton greeted opening the door to his dorm room.

"Hi, um is Portman here?" she asked suddenly becoming really interested in the carpet.

"No but he'll be back soon. You wanna wait?" Fulton held the door open for her.

"Um okay" Allie replied stepping inside.

She cautiously made her way over to Portman's bed and carefully sat down.

_This is ridiculous, I'm acting as if I've never been here before_ Allie thought to herself as she looked around the room. She was unable to shake that nervous feeling.

"I have to go meet Julie, are you okay waiting here by yourself? I can stay if you want me to" Fulton asked hoping she'd say yes she wanted him to stay.

"I'll be fine, besides Julie will totally kick your ass if you keep her waiting" Allie replied.

"Oh okay, I'll see you later then" Fulton replied trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice as he left the room.

Allie pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed.

Staring at the wall, she had no idea how long it had been before Portman came through the door.

He stopped dead when he saw her sitting on the bed.

"Um hi" he said softly.

"Hi" she replied not quite meeting his eyes.

They fell into silence, Allie looking down at the floor and Portman staring at her.

He fought all urge to rush over there and kiss her and tell her how much he loves her. He got the feeling that gesture wouldn't be entirely all that welcome.

_Man this is more awkward than the time we woke up together at Adam's house_ he thought.

"So" he started hoping to get some sort of conversation started.

"I'm sorry I can't do this" Allie said suddenly leaping up off the bed and heading towards the door.

Portman reached out and grabbed her arm gently.

"Can't do what?" he asked fearfully.

"Talk to you about, well you know" Allie could smell his cologne and it was making her dizzy.

"We don't have to talk about that" Portman said gently a smile tugging at his lips.

"We should though" Allie reasoned feeling her restraints coming down. He had that effect on her and sometimes she loved it and sometimes she hated it. This was a time where she loved it; it was making her forget.

"Not if you don't want to" Portman gently pulled her towards him again.

"I don't want to" Allie said falling towards him a little more.

"That's okay" he said finally getting her where he wanted her.

"Good" Allie replied as their bodies touched.

Portman's arms fell around her guiding her head into his chest. It felt good to have his girl back in his arms.

Fulton cautiously approached the dorm room hoping to God that there wasn't a rubber band around the door handle.

He let out a breath when he realised that there wasn't one and he opened the door to find Portman laying on his back with a blond bundle curled up against his chest.

"Shhh" Portman put a finger to his lips warning his friend to be quiet.

Fulton looked down and realised that Allie was fast asleep with her arms draped over Portman's torso.

_Man what I wouldn't give to be him right now_ Fulton quickly looked away before his friend became suspicious.

He quietly stripped down to his boxers and climbed into his own bed.

_Funny its always me who sleeps alone_ he thought to himself as he tried not to sneak glances over at the couple on the bed on the other side of the room.

He drifted off to sleep dreaming that he was the one who got to hold Allie.

"I officially hate Orion now" Russ complained as the team skated what seemed like their millionth lap around the rink.

He'd called a 4.00 am practice that morning and they were to work doubly hard in two back to back practice sessions.

The first being a hockey skills dominated practice and the second was to be spent in the school's gym using whatever equipment they wished to, provided it was used.

"Join the club, we're all gonna look like Banks by the time he's done with us" Goldberg complained referring to Adam's skinnyish frame.

"Hey!" Adam protested but was cut short by Connie.

"No one can look as good as Banks does" she said in a small tired voice.

Orion had given them all a lecture for getting so many detentions that week and their punishment was a full half hour of laps. Then came the hour and a half of hockey skills followed by the 2 hrs in the gym.

And to top that, they were then expected to be in class by 8.30 am.

"So what do we call him now since Captain Blood has already been taken?" Averman asked without the usual mischievous tone to his voice.

"How about Drill Sargent?" Ken suggested.

"Nah too lame how about Count Torture?" Luis spoke up.

"That'll do for now, I'm too tired to think up anything else" Charlie replied. Any sort of conversation was taking any energy he had left after all of those laps.

"Take a knee" Coach Orion blew on his whistle, indicating that the laps were over.

"Oh thank God!" Goldberg grabbed a water bottle from the crate and chugged a large mouthful of water as he collapsed onto his knee.

"We have the all important State Championship Game coming up and I don't need to remind you that the Alumni and Dean Buckley are putting the pressure on for us to bring the title home once again" Coach Orion started.

His team nodded in agreement. They didn't need to be told twice.

"Which is why I'm calling double practices every third day until the game. We need to lift our fitness and finetune your defence skills which is why we're going to be working on that today. Gaffney?" Coach Orion turned his attention onto Julie.

"Yes Coach?" Julie breathed heavily.

"I want you to be able to catch any shot taken at you which is why I want you and Fulton to use the other net to practice in. if you can catch his slap shot then you should be able to catch anything" Coach Orion instructed.

Julie gulped. _He expects me to be able to catch Fulton's slap shot? The shot that sends every goalie running for the hills?_

"Fulton, don't go easy on her. She needs the practice" Coach Orion told Fulton who nodded.

"Goldberg?" Coach Orion started his torture session on Goldberg.

"Yes Coach?" Goldberg replied fearfully.

"You're in the net. I think we should work on your goaltending skills" Coach Orion named his poison.

"Moreau, Conway, Germaine, Banks and Averman, you'll be on offence. I want you to be vultures around the net, keep taking shots as you get the puck"

"Yes Coach" the five players knew this wasn't going to be a picnic.

"Portman, Mendoza, Wu, Tyler and Robertson, you're gonna be my defence. You'll be picking up the trash" Coach Orion ordered.

"Right 45 mins then we change and defence will return to offence, with the addition of Fulton and offence will turn to defence with Goldberg. Gaffney will be in the net. You guys got it?" Coach Orion barked.

"Sir yes sir!" the team chorused.

"Oh man we're gonna be sore tomorrow" Fulton whispered to Portman.

"Yep and it looks like it'll only get harder from hereon out" Portman replied.


	28. State Champions

"All those extra practices had better be worth it" Julie grumbled as she pulled on her pads.

"I never thought I'd see the day when someone caught my knucklepuck but I'm glad it was you Jules" Russ sat down next to her.

"Thanks Russ but the pain wasn't really worth it" Julie recalled at how her hand had swelled to triple its normal size afterwards. It had been subjected to daily ice baths ever since and it had now returned to normal.

"Come on guys we should be more excited about this, it's the Championship Game!" Charlie was trying to get his team fired up.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Averman screamed waving his arms around like a madman and pulling crazy faces.

"Okay who's been spiking our Gatorade?" Goldberg asked eyeing everyone suspiciously.

Averman's antics upped the mood of the Ducks but it wasn't until Connie started chanting "Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!" that really got them going.

"Come on Ducks we have a championship game to win!" Charlie yelled.

Charlie was applauded with numerous shouts and screams from the other Ducks as the team made their way out of the locker room.

"_Live from the Eden Hall arena we bring to you the Minnesota State High School Hockey Championship Game._

_Tonight's line up is the Eden Hall Mighty Ducks led by their captain Charlie "Spazzway" Conway versus the Manningham Panthers led by their two captains Mark McBain and Peter Holland._

_Can this Eden Hall Varisty team make it three consecutive state championships or will Manningham put an end to the Mighty Ducks reign?"_

"Dude that guy seriously needs to chill the fuck out" Fulton commented to Portman as they entered the ice.

"Come on guys lets win this one for Hans, again" Charlie replied giving honor to the Ducks' pact that every championship game was going to be dedicated to their late friend and mentor Hans.

"Yeah!" the rest of the ducks agreed as they formed a circle in front of the net and bent down to touch the ice as they moved.

As it was a widely known fact that the Ducks dedicated the game to Hans the Eden Hall crowd started their chant of

"Hans! Hans! Hans! Hans!"

"God I hope they win" Linda was on the edge of her seat.

She'd just endured a week of a nervous Charlie and she couldn't wait for the game to be over.

"So do I" Allie replied knowing that Dean Buckley led by Tom Riley and the alumni (why Tom Riley was even on the Board anymore was beyond everyone) would give the Ducks hell if they blew this one.

"Hey look there's Rick Riley" Linda didn't bother to hide her distaste for the boy who'd graduated the year before.

"Trust him to show up expecting the Ducks to lose, he's such a wanker" Allie frowned.

"Oh wow, check out his bitch" Linda burst out laughing.

Allie turned to look the second time and she too laughed when she saw a blond haired, blue eyed, fake chested girl take a seat next to Rick with her arms draped all over him.

"Guess she's after the money" Linda wasn't letting anything slide tonight.

Allie didn't answer, she'd spotted Mrs Portman entering the VIP section of the stands.

She slunk down in her seat a little hoping the woman wouldn't notice her and start another scene.

"_Adam Banks, the Ducks star centre to take the face off against Manningham's co-Captain, Mark McBain"_ the game was starting and the girls turned their attention to the ice.

Adam easily gained access to the puck and shot it back to Charlie who led off on the Ducks offensive attack.

Charlie passed it over to Connie who faked to the right and easily snuck around the defence player to shoot it across to Adam who shot and scored.

The Eden Hall crowd erupted into applause.

Score one to the Ducks.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The game was one of the toughest for the Ducks and at the end of the second period they were down by two goals.

"I'd hate to be them in the locker room right now" Linda commented to Allie as they were waiting in line for the bathroom.

"I know, Coach Orion is one scary guy" Allie replied.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"You guys are starting to slow down on defence and its showing on the scoreboard" Coach Orion started his 'talk'.

The Ducks nodded gloomily, they had noticed it too.

"Connie we're gonna have to pull out the secret weapon" Coach Orion ordered.

"Okay Coach" Connie replied trying not to giggle at the confused faces of the rest of the Ducks.

"Connie is going to be our fourth enforcer. I've had her practising her skills the last few weeks and I must say she'll give the Bashes a run for their money" Coach Orion smirked.

"Hey!" Portman and Fulton cried pretending to be hurt.

Connie proved his point by pushing Portman hard on the shoulder.

"OW!" Portman cried rubbing his shoulder.

"Okay, okay I believe you now" he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"The Velvet Hammer our new enforcer creams the Portman-o-roonie" Averman began his commentary.

"Velvet Hammer?" Julie whispered to Connie.

"Nickname from District 5, I have no idea where Averman comes up with this stuff" Connie replied truthfully.

"Okay team, you know the drill, pick up the defence, pick up on the offence, careful, but not too careful" Coach Orion noted that it was almost time to get back out onto the ice.

"Yes Coach Orion sir!" the team chorused using Averman's expression from their first ever meeting with Coach Orion.

"Lets go bring the State Championship home, again" Coach Orion led his team back out to the ice.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"_Gearing up for the third period here come the Eden Hall Mighty Ducks with what appears to be a renewed sense of spirit"_

Allie and Linda sat down just as the Ducks were taking to the ice.

"Great timing!" Linda commented setting down her coke next to her.

"_Lester Averman to take the face off, oh boy what a match up!_ _that Manningham player is at least three times Averman's size"_

"I swear the commentary gets worse each time" Allie grumbled feeling a little pissed off that they were having a dig at Averman.

"Tell me about it" Linda agreed. She'd noticed it ever since Charlie had convinced her to attend the Ducks first ever game at Eden Hall freshman year. The Band had also annoyed her but since the only seats available back then to a loner had been the ones near the Band she'd learned to deal.

She looked across to Allie to see her focused on something within the game.

"_Number 21 for Eden Hall, Dean "Bash Brother" Portman being escorted to the penalty box, but what's the penalty? Aha Dean Portman being penalised for 'unsportsman like conduct' he'll get 2 minutes"_

"What did he do?" Linda asked.

Allie shrugged "I have no idea, he said something to that guy there and the ref called him up on it"

All eyes were on Portman as he was obviously very annoyed at being penalised.

"_Look at Dean Portman go! He's all fired up ladies and gentlemen, are we going to be in for a repeat performance of Dean's stripper performance? Sorry ladies I believe he is taken"_

Allie cringed in her seat "Remind me to kill that guy later" she whispered to Linda.

Portman however, didn't repeat his stripping stunt. Instead he threw his gloves off, got up on the bench and started chanting "Ducks! Ducks! Ducks! Ducks!"

"Okay who is that guy and what has he done with the real Dean Portman?" Allie asked surprised that her boyfriend was taking the penalty lightly.

"His mom's here" Linda laughed.

"Oh yeah that's right" Allie stole a glance over at Kate Portman and wasn't at all surprised to see her glaring right back at her.

"I swear that woman would murder me right here if there weren't so many people around" Allie commented.

Linda looked over at Kate Portman and shot her a glare of her own.

"Forget about her, she's a friggin loon!" Linda replied.

"At least Casey Conway's nice!" Allie argued.

"Yeah but I have to put up with Charlie's mood swings, anyone would think he was a girl!" Linda laughed knowing how hotheaded her boyfriend could be when he had an issue he didn't like.

The girls went back to the game just in time to see Portman being let out of the box.

"_The Ducks have caught up and it's a tie, forty five seconds left on the clock. Holland shoots, save by Gaffney, she knocks it to Banks who starts the attack, Banks gets it out past the blue line, shoots it over to Averman who sails it across to Germaine, Manningham try their defence, Moreau creams No. 29, Simpson, Connie Moreau's really throwing her weight around tonight, Germaine gets it to Reed who raises his stick and shoots………………………………………HE SCORES! The Ducks now lead by one with 8 seconds left on the clock._

_Manningham start on their attack, ouch! Shut down by Moreau, Portman and Reed, Goldberg takes control of the puck, he passes to Conway who passes back to Averman._

_And there's the buzzer its over folks the Eden Hall Mighty Ducks are the state champions once again"_

The crowd jump up in their seats shouting and screaming.

Allie and Linda immediately made their way down to the ice to celebrate with their boyfriends and friends.

The first person they encountered was Julie.

"Jules!" Allie yelled grabbing her friend around the shoulders.

"Hey! I can't believe we won! That was so hard!" Julie panted trying to catch her breath.

Allie waved to Hayley, Courtney and Mel who were surrounding the team with the other cheerleaders.

Allie screamed when she felt hands touch her body and pick her up, holding her in their air. She looked down to see Fulton and Portman grinning like a couple of Cheshire cats.

"Let me down you idiots!" Allie demanded.

They held her up in the air for a moment longer before letting her down.

"Great shot Fulton!" Allie exclaimed wrapping her arms around Fulton's neck as she gave him a hug.

"Thanks" Fulton replied feeling a little smug. It was the first time he'd scored the winning goal for the team since pee wees.

"Hey what about me?" Portman pouted.

Allie jumped into his waiting arms.

"I guess you were okay too" she teased kissing his nose.

"Just okay huh?" Portman played along.

"Okay I'll oblige since you won, you're my hero!" she put on a fake melodramatic voice.

"I'll take that" Portman replied planting a kiss on her lips.

They were just starting to enjoy their kiss when they were interrupted.

"Ahem"

They pulled apart and whipped around to see a very displeased Kate Portman.

"Hey mom" Portman started not hiding his annoyance at the look of distaste of his mother's mouth.

"I came to say congratulations but it seems you're too busy to bother with your only mother" Kate started.

"Hey Allie!" Connie thankfully saved the day as she grabbed the blonde in a hug with her and Adam.

_Thank you Connie_ Dean thought.

"I wont tolerate you embarrassing me by cavorting with that kind of filth. She's only after you for your money you know" Kate Portman wagged her finger not caring whose attention she was gaining.

"Mom that's not true, she actually has more money than I do so you can just stop that right there" Portman was fed up of his mother ragging on his girlfriend at every opportunity.

"So she tells you" Kate Portman didn't miss a beat.

"Believe what you want, but I'll tell you something, that house on the hill. You know your dream house on the other side of town, I'll give you three guesses whose father owns it" Portman had long stopped celebrating the Ducks' victory. In fact he'd now forgotten all about it.

"Fine, you might want to date the girl but I'll tell _you_ something Dean Michael Portman, all the money in the world wont change the fact that she killed your father" and with that Kate Portman turned on her heel and walked off.

"Dude are you okay?" Fulton saw the hurt expression on his friend's face.

"I never thought she'd become like this, ever" Portman said sadly.

"Yeah must be hard" Fulton replied knowing that he must be going through hell having his mother hating his girlfriend.

"Hey are you okay?" Allie had come back to Portman seeing that Kate had left.

"Yeah" Portman plastered a smile on his face. He didn't want to worry her further.

"Good, so Charlie says he has some big idea that we're all involved in so I'm gonna catch a ride with Linda to Mickeys where Charlie wants to 'unveil his big plan'. I'll see you soon" Allie smiled giving Portman another congratulatory kiss.

"Okay" Portman agreed not really quite comprehending. All he'd heard was _Charlie, big plan, Linda, Mickeys _and _see you soon_.

He watched his girl leave the ice with Linda still staring at the entrance long after they'd left. It wasn't until Fulton clapped him on the back telling him they were going to get changed did he snap out of it.

He followed his team to the locker room where another little victory party took place.

Portman's heart wasn't truly in it though.


	29. School's out for Summer

"Am I a bad girlfriend if I bail on Mickeys and go to the dorms to catch up on sleep?" Allie asked Linda as they pulled into the parking lot next door to the Diner.

"I tried that once and Charlie went ballistic. Believe me its not worth the whining" Linda laughed killing the engine and stepping out of the car into the cool night air.

"Looks like the team are already here" Allie commented seeing the various motor vehicles that she recognised as belonging to the Ducks.

"Well we did make a pit stop or three" Linda laughed finding it funny now that she'd guzzled so much Coke that she had needed to pee every five minutes, earlier however was a different story.

"Ah I bet they haven't even noticed" Allie laughed.

"And of course just to prove me wrong" Allie whispered to Linda as she saw Charlie and Portman burst through the doors of Mickeys to quiz them on where they'd been.

"Bathroom breaks, you know I really suggest not going for the super jumbo coke" Linda laughed at her boyfriend's worried expression.

"Too much info" Portman groaned as he nuzzled into his girlfriend's neck.

"Hey new perfume?" he quizzed when the fresh, crisp scent hit his nostrils.

"Yeah I got bored waiting in the car so I went 'shopping'" Allie confessed.

"You two are unbelievable" Connie's voice cut in.

The group spun around to see her standing with her head on Adam's shoulder.

"Where was my invitation?" she laughed.

"Lost in the mail, sorry!" Linda joked back grabbing Charlie by the arm and hauling him back into Mickeys.

"Wooooooo its about time!" Averman and Goldberg commented loudly when Allie and Linda entered the dining car to see it jam packed with Ducks players, relatives, Coach Orion, his daughter and numerous fans.

"Yeah, yeah" Linda waved his comment off as she slid into a booth next to Julie and Ken.

"So now can you tell us this big announcement?" Goldberg was getting impatient.

"Yep now that everyone's here, Coach do you wanna come over here?" Charlie beckoned for Coach Orion to join him at centre stage.

"Well now that the seasons over and summer is looming upon us" Coach Orion started but was interrupted by a loud cheer emerging from the Ducks.

Coach Orion rolled his eyes. He was used to the constant interruptions by the Ducks.

He waited for the Ducks to settle back down.

"now as I was saying, I got a call from Gordon Bombay who had an excellent suggestion that the Ducks attend a coaching clinic over the summer run by Hendrix Hockey and the Goodwill Games Committee"

Orion waited for the reaction.

"Where is this clinic?" Julie asked.

"Los Angeles, held at the Coliseum, I believe you guys are already familiar with that facility" Orion replied with a smirk.

"ALRIGHT!" Russ yelled.

"And as added incentive, Bombay has allowed you guys to stay in his Malibu pad rather than the university dorms, he mentioned something about you guys not being welcome there again"

Everyone immediately looked across to Portman and Fulton who shrugged innocently.

"Not our fault they didn't like Metallica" Fulton mumbled.

"So what do you guys think?" Charlie piped up excitedly.

"Yeah!" came the enthusiastic response.

"We can go shopping on Melrose!" Connie grabbed Julie excitedly.

"I can see Scooter!" Julie replied just as happily.

Portman and Fulton remained calm.

Linda made her way over to Allie.

"Why did we have to be here for this?" she whispered not understanding why Charlie made everyone wait for them to arrive so they can tell them they're ditching them for the entire summer.

"Beats me, but I'm heading up to Laguna with Hayley and some of the other girls over the summer, you wanna come too? LA's not too far away from there" Allie offered.

Linda thought about it for a moment.

"Sure why not? Charlie's not the only one who can have fun this summer" she replied.

"Excellent! The beaches are so much nicer there too" Allie recalled.

"Hey there you are, you should come too. I'm sure Bombay would let you stay in the house with us" Charlie didn't see the volcano about to explode in front of him.

Allie grabbed Fulton and Portman by the arms and dragged them away. She knew what was coming.

"Duck and cover!" she hissed to the confused Bash Brothers.

"Huh?" Portman was completely oblivious.

"Oh" he added just before the entire diner heard what Linda had to say.

"How nice to include me in your carefully laid out plans" Linda spat out with venom.

"Of course I've included you" Charlie was oblivious to the sarcasm.

"Gee its too bad though _Charles_ I've already got plans with people who don't think to include me as an afterthought" Linda clenched her fists at her sides.

"Oh shit this does not look good" Fulton commented from his spot next to Allie.

"I know" Allie whispered back.

"What?" Charlie screeched as if it was only occurring to him now that Linda had made plans for the summer without him.

"That's right Charlie Conway, I've been invited to spend some time with some friends over the summer and you know what, I'm gonna go and have the best time. _Without you_" she added before shoving him aside and exiting the dining car leaving a very quiet crowd staring at Charlie.

Charlie stared at the door for a moment wondering what on earth had just happened. He finally snapped out of it when he realised that everyone was staring at him.

"WHAT?" he snapped before storming out.

"And the award for the most dramatic exit goes to………. Well I think Linda, what about you guys?" Averman broke the silence with another joke.

"Well they both had their good points but I think Charlie with the way he snapped at everyone before stomping out" Goldberg had just started a rather detailed discussion on who made the best exit.

Allie shook her head and smiled.

"Hey I don't have to go to LA if you don't want me to, I'm not sure I wanna go yet anyway" Portman piped up hoping Allie wasn't mad at him for the whole hockey clinic thing.

"You're going Dean and that's final. Besides I promised Hayley I'd spent at least a week up in Laguna with her and the girls but if you're gonna be in LA I can make the trip even longer" Allie explained.

"Phew, so you're not all mad at me like Linda is with Charlie?" Portman relaxed. He didn't want to be a subject of the discussion of dramatic exits that had now roped in Guy, Adam, Connie and Luis as well as Averman and Goldberg. Julie and Ken were still talking in the corner but had been joined by Becky Orion and Fulton.

"Nope but I would have been mad if you stayed here all summer because you thought I'd want you to. Well I do want you to, wait no that sounded wrong, what I meant was I want to be near you all summer but this hockey thing sounds exciting for you and I'll only be an hour or so away so why not go?" Allie was talking a mile a minute, she didn't want Portman to think she didn't want to be around him for the summer.

"I get it, I think" Portman looked confused but nevertheless understood what she was trying to say.

"Good" Allie replied pulling him over to the table where Julie, Ken and Fulton were chatting to Becky Orion.

"You guys don't have to talk to me just cos I'm the coaches daughter" Becky said with her eyes downcast.

"Becky, Becky, Becky" Portman began as he shook his head. Becky looked up.

"Yeah I'm hurt by that Becky, the first hot chick I've talked to all year and she doesn't wanna talk to me" Fulton feigned hurt as Becky stared at him in disbelief.

"You are so full of shit" she said softly causing the rest of the table to stare at her open mouthed before bursting into laughter.

"Oh yeah, I really, really like you, please tell me you're coming to LA with us" Julie gave Becky's arm a little squeeze.

"Dunno, I guess I'll have to ask my dad" she replied relaxing a little. She always felt out of place with the Ducks because they were her dad's 'other' pride and joy and being around cute teenage boys kind of overwhelmed her. She felt incredibly self conscious being in a wheelchair and not being able to do the things they did but the ones she was talking to now made her feel right at home.

"Hey team!" Coach Orion called for the Ducks attention.

In true Ducks fashion no one listened to him.

"DUCKS, SHUT UP!" Orion bellowed startling everyone.

"Thank you" Orion breathed.

"Yes Coach Orion sir?" Averman asked softly with a grin.

"Team meeting in my office Monday morning 7 am. Can someone fill Conway in on it?" he asked.

"I'm proud of you team, we've proven that we're worth the varsity title. One more State Championship and we've earned four consecutive, a new record I believe. I expect to see all of you out on the ice fitter, faster and more determined to work than ever before after this hockey clinic. Now get out of here, Casey wants to close up"

"YEAH!" the Ducks cheered at Orion's little speech. The man wasn't too big on overpraising the team for their efforts and they liked it like that.

"So Linda was my ride, can I go with you guys?" Allie asked Portman.

"Charlie was my ride" Portman realised.

"And mine!" Fulton blurted out.

"Sorry guys, I'm taking Connie, Adam, Ken and Luis. I'm all full" Julie explained.

"Averman's got Goldberg, Russ, Guy and Dwayne" Ken added.

"Oh well looks like we're walking boys" Allie laughed at the Bash Brothers groaning.

"Remind me never to rely on Charlie to drive me anywhere" Fulton grumbled sliding out of the booth. He said a quick goodbye to Julie and Ken before giving Becky an over the top hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Ew get off of me" Becky complained but the grin on her face told her father that she wasn't really being bothered by a Bash Brother's affections.

"Come on Fulton" Allie dragged the Bash Brother out the door where the other one was waiting impatiently.

"See ya Becky" Allie called over her shoulder.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"I swear to God Fulton you are worse than a girl!" Allie laughed when she arrived at Fulton's house to find him sitting on the front step surrounded by three enormous suitcases.

"Shut up!" Fulton retorted making a great show of picking up all three cases and carrying them to the trunk of Allie's BMW SUV.

He dropped one at the last second and it landed squarely on his foot that was only covered by a beach sandal.

"OW!" he cried hopping up and down in pain.

Portman lost it.

"Are you okay?" Allie asked.

"No!" Fulton sulked.

"Get in, Portman will fix those" Allie volunteered her boyfriend to load up his friend's bags.

"Will I?" Portman challenged.

All Allie had to do was raise an eyebrow and he did as he was asked.

"Thank you baby" Allie called after him as she got in the drivers seat.

"So what do you girls plan on doing for a whole week without us Ducks? Sit in your rooms and cry I hope" Fulton teased.

"No see I figured we'd have this enormous pool party with loads of college guys home for the summer, you know the ones that used to be on Varsity, yeah, especially that really nice one, now what was his name, oh yeah Rick Riley!" Allie teased trying not to laugh when she saw Fulton's face turn even paler than usual.

"You're joking right?" he asked

"Oh no, then we're gonna go hit all the bars in Minnesota and get so drunk that we have to be carried out of each one with puke all down our clothes" she continued as Portman was getting into the car.

"What the fuck? Who's getting drunk? Better not be you" he warned.

"And then after all that we're gonna do bodyshots with Biff Cole" Allie knew this would get a reaction.

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Portman bellowed.

Allie burst out laughing.

"Just kidding guys, nah seriously Linda, Hayley and I are going bikini shopping and we might have a pool party but only with the girls invited" Allie gave Portman her best innocent smile.

"Way to give a dude a heart attack babe" Portman breathed.

"Yeah for a minute there I was not going to go to LA just to stop you from doing bodyshots with that asshole Biff Cole" Fulton said from the back seat.

"Oh Fulton I didn't know you cared" Allie laughed as she pulled away from the curb.

"Hey!" Portman whined.

"Are you looking forward to the clinic?" Allie asked the boys.

"Yeah but I'm not looking forward to the 4.00 wake up calls. We have to be awake, suited up and on the ice by 5.00 sharp. So not good" Fulton grumbled.

"Aren't you guys used to it yet? What was it that Coach Orion used to say, something about getting up early to hunt goose eggs?" Allie tried to remember Coach Orion's reasoning.

"Yeah – 'you gotta get up early if you wanna hunt goose eggs' I swear Connie was gonna hurt him there and then" Portman replied.

"She's not a morning person I take it?" Allie asked. She didn't know Connie half as well as she knew Julie.

"Nope and I think Julie being so cheery in the morning makes it worse" Fulton laughed.

"Speak of the Devil" Fulton said aloud as his cell phone starting playing Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

"Hey Jules" he answered.

Allie concentrated on getting the boys to the airport in one piece as she ducked and weaved through traffic. She'd only had her license for a few weeks now.

"Julie says we have to go to gate 32, most of the team's there except for Charlie, Averman and Guy" Fulton instructed.

"Yeah I know where that is" Allie informed him. She'd been to the airport so many times throughout her life to see her father off or pick up her mother.

She flicked on her blinker to pull into the airport parking lot.

The trio got out of the car and managed to get to the gate to meet the Ducks.

"Its about time!" Goldberg complained from his chair. From the look of him, he obviously had to be physically woken up and dragged to the airport.

"Hey Charlie isn't even here yet!" Julie stuck up for the Bash Brothers.

"Don't count on Linda showing up" Connie piped up from next to Adam.

"She _still _pissed?" Portman asked amazed.

Connie nodded "I hope she forgives him soon, Charlie's such a pain in the ass when they're fighting"

"Agreed" Luis, Dwayne, Russ, Ken and Adam.

"Agree mphmm" Goldberg mumbled before he fell asleep again.

"Well look who's finally arrived!" Russ saw the late Ducks rushing towards them.

"We're here!" Charlie announced looking just as tired as Goldberg did.

"About time Spazzway" Connie grumbled. She hated waiting and upon seeing the people who were making her wait she was now grumpy.

"C'mon Ducks we have a plane to catch" Coach Orion did a quick headcount and ascertained that everyone was present and accounted for.

"Well I guess this is it" Portman turned to his girlfriend.

"Babe, its only gonna be a week until I land LA!" Allie pointed out.

"I know but I'm gonna miss you" he whispered.

"I'll miss you too" Allie whispered back.

"And I'm gonna miss you too!" Averman wailed flinging an arm around Allie's shoulders and pretending to weep.

"No ones gonna miss you after I beat the snot out of you and bury you in my backyard" Portman threatened.

"Okay I'm going now, bye Allie" Averman quickly retreated back to the safety of the other Ducks.

"So I'll see you in a week?" Portman tried to say his goodbyes again.

"Yep but I'll be expecting at least a phone call in that week" Allie told him giving him a hug.

"I'd phone you three times a day if I thought you wouldn't get annoyed with me" Portman smiled.

"You know me so well" Allie laughed accepting the kiss Portman planted on her lips.

"Don't bother saying goodbye to me" a sarcastic voice Allie and Portman only knew too well interrupted their time.

"Aw shit!" Allie whispered against Portman's lips before they broke away.

And standing behind them was Kate Portman and she did not look happy.

"I'll see you later" Allie told Portman giving his hand one last squeeze.

"I'm glad to see you didn't lie to me" Kate placed her hands on her hips.

Portman knew what she was talking about. He'd told his mother purposely that Allie wasn't attending the hockey clinic therefore she wouldn't be joining him in LA. It was a half truth but his mother didn't really need to know that.

"Why would I lie to you? Allie's really not coming out to LA with me, as you just saw" he added.

"Don't take that tone with me Dean" his mother warned.

"What tone? I would have said goodbye to you if I thought you wouldn't make a scene with Allie here. Get used to it mom, she's my girl and nothing's gonna change that" Portman was itching to get going.

"Portman hurry up!" Coach Orion barked.

"I have to go, I'll see you when I get back" he gave his mother a quick one armed hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

And with that Portman ran across the waiting lounge to join the rest of the team.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Oh yeah, Kate showed up and ruined it of course. I swear that woman has me on radar lockdown or something" Allie was sitting in her SUV with her cell phone at her ear.

"Yeah Hayls, I should be about an hour. Do you wanna give Linda a call?"

"Yeah Charlie was late and he looked terrible, like he hadn't slept for weeks, months even. I know, I hope she talks to him when we go to Laguna"

"Yep so we'll meet at yours say around 10? Okay see you then" Allie flipping the cell shut and placed it on the passenger seat.

She turned the key in the ignition and put the car in reverse ready to back out of the parking space. She pushed a button on the CD changer to radio and turned the volume up.

She was greeted by Aerosmith's Crazy playing

_I go crazy, crazy, baby, I go crazy  
You turn it on  
Then you're gone  
Yeah you drive me  
Crazy, crazy, crazy, for you baby   
What can I do, honey  
I feel like the color blue..._

You're packin' up your stuff and talkin' like it's tough and tryin'  
to tell me that it's time to go  
But I know you ain't wearin' nothin' underneath that overcoat  
And it's all a show  


As she passed the last row of cars she noticed a woman standing next to a silver Lexus cussing. Allie slowed down and pushed the button to open the window.

"Do you need any help?" she asked.

"Yeah I have a flat" the woman turned around and Allie was just as stunned to see Kate Portman as Kate Portman was stunned to see Allie.

"Nevermind I'll call AAA" Kate added sharply.

"It's okay, I can change it for you in about a third of the time it'll take for them to get here" Allie pulled the BMW into the parking space next to Kate's and got out.

"Fine" Kate looked defeated when she realised Allie was right.

"Could you open the trunk please?" Allie asked as politely as she could.

Kate rolled her eyes and obliged.

Allie tried not to disturb anything in the trunk as she removed the jack from its holster.

"You might need to put this stuff in the backseat for now, the spare's actually in a compartment under the floor mat" Allie informed her.

Kate sighed and proceeded to put all of her shopping and other junk into the backseat of the Lexus.

Kate watched in silence as Allie proceeded to take the spare out of its hiding place and roll it next to the wheel arch that held the flat tyre.

"What are you doing?" Kate demanded when Allie reached into the drivers compartment.

"It has to be in park with the handbrake on. I don't want it moving on me" Allie explained.

"Oh" Kate replied softly. She still didn't like the girl.

She watched on as Allie continued changing the tyre. In total it only took around 10 minutes to complete.

"There you go" Allie announced closing the trunk lid.

"Thank you" Kate said shortly before getting into the Lexus and peeling out of the car park.

"You're welcome" Allie muttered getting back into her SUV.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Holy shit, guys look at this!" Charlie called the Ducks over to check out the view of the ocean Bombay had going on from his balcony.

"Wow, its so beautiful" Connie exclaimed.

"Awesome" Fulton opened the balcony doors to see whether or not you could access the beach from the pad.

"Hey guys!" he called.

The other Ducks moved outside to where Fulton revealed a gate with a set of steps leading down towards the beach.

"Wow Bombay must get paid A LOT" Julie decided.

"Come on lets go work out what we want to do today" Charlie ordered. Since landing in LA he had perked up considerably. Goldberg on the other hand was currently sleeping it off in one of the guest rooms Bombay had made up for the Ducks visit.

"Any suggestions?" Charlie called the little meeting to order.

"Swimming!" Connie piped up excitedly.

"Hockey!" Adam and Guy announced.

Connie shot each of them a filthy look.

"We're here on a hockey clinic you idiots!" Connie informed them.

"Duh!" Guy gave her a look that said 'so what?'

"Yeah hey, Russ we should play street hockey with your brother again!" Charlie had just decided what they were doing that day.

"Yeah!" Russ' face lit up. He hadn't seen his older brother James since the previous summer.

"Well give him a call Tyler!" Charlie ordered.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Allie was just giving Hayley and Linda an animated version of her little run-in with Kate Portman when her cell phone went off.

"That is such a cool ring, what is that?" Linda asked.

"Metallica's Seek & Destroy" Allie replied digging around in her bag for the phone.

She frowned when she didn't recognise the number.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously.

"_Told you I'd call" _Dean's voice came across the phone.

"Hey!" Allie exclaimed.

"_So what's up?_" Portman asked.

"Oh my god, you'll never guess what happened. Oh wait, can I put you on speaker? I was just telling Hayley and Linda about it"

Allie pressed the button to turn her cell to speaker.

"Are you there?" Allie asked.

"Yep" Portman replied.

"Hey Hayley and Linda" Portman added.

"Hey Portman" the girls answered.

Allie then started the story about her helping Kate with her flat tyre.

She got to the part where Kate said an abrupt 'thank you' and then sped off.

"She what?" Portman couldn't believe his mother was still being rude after Allie had helped her out.

"Its okay, it was definitely more than I expected" Allie assured him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well no offence, but since your mom's decided she hates me so much I was honestly expecting something like _"Don't think this changes anything"_ or _"You're still a murdering slutbag"_ or something equally as bad" Allie confessed.

"I guess" Portman mused.

"_Hey Portman we're gonna go play some street puck with James Tyler and his crew"_ Charlie's voice was heard in the background.

"I gotta go babe, I'll talk to you later" Portman was reluctant to end the conversation.

"Okay, have fun, we've gotta get to the shops before they close anyway" Allie informed him.

"Babe its only midday" Portman pointed out.

"Exactly, do you have any idea how long it takes to find the right bathing suit" Allie informed him on the ways of swimmer shopping.

"A long time I'm guessing" Portman answered.

"Clever boy!" Allie laughed.

"_Portman come on!"_ someone screamed at Portman on the other end.

"Okay I really have to go, I love you" Portman announced.

"Love you too, bye" Allie replied hanging up the phone.

"Thank god you two don't do the whole, _you hang up, no you hang up_ bullshit, I overheard Courtney and Dwayne doing it the winter break they were going out and I swear I felt like shooting myself" Hayley laughed.

"I know its so overrated, Charlie tried it once so I said "okay" and hung up on him!" Linda admitted.

"Nice!" Hayley exclaimed.

"Come on lets go" Allie rounded up the girls and they all piled into Hayley's jeep to head to the mall.


	30. Californian Summer

_**A/N – sorry its taken a little while to update but I lost inspiration for this fic and to be honest I didn't think anyone was reading this anymore. So here's an extra long chapter to make up for it.**_

* * *

****

"They wont be here, they'll be in the clinic right now" Hayley checked her watch.

"Nothing wrong with hoping" Linda argued.

Hayley was about to say something about Linda being mad at Charlie but Linda beat her to it.

"I'm over it" she informed the cheerleader.

"Thank God!" Hayley screeched.

"Hayls, do I need to slip a Valium in your food or can you behave?" Allie asked half laughing.

"I'll behave mommy" Hayley laughed back.

"Oh my god!" Linda exclaimed stopping mid-step. She reached both arms out to her sides and grabbed Allie with one hand and Hayley with the other.

The three girls froze.

The Ducks had come to the airport and were standing in a big group that took up most of the room in the walkway. They were still in their hockey gear minus the skates and they held a huge banner that read _WELCOME TO LA!_

"Wow you guys are just, wow" Allie smiled rushing over to give her boyfriend a hug.

"I missed you" Portman admitted gripping his girlfriend's waist.

"I missed you too" Allie replied kissing his nose.

"How long are you in LA?" Julie asked from next to Portman.

"We have to check into our house this afternoon but I think Courtney, Mel and Rachel are doing that" Allie advised.

"How are you getting out to Laguna?" Julie kept coming with the questions.

"Mel's gonna come and get us when we call her" Allie answered.

"So if you don't call her until tomorrow you can stay with me tonight" Portman replied happy with his logic.

"Sorry babe, we have to go to this thing on the beach tonight, Courtney organised it. You guys should come if you can spare an hour and a half each way" Allie told them.

"Can't, we have a game tomorrow morning. It's the start of this tournament thingy" Portman said sadly before adding.

"And you'd better come to some of the games"

Allie laughed "Oh alright, I'm sure I can spare some time away from working on my tan to see you play"

"Damn straight!" Portman affirmed.

"You'd look kinda weird with a dark tan anyway, you're so white" Russ teased.

"Thanks Russ, that means a lot" Allie rolled her eyes.

"So why aren't you guys in practice?" Hayley eyed the team's attire.

"We decided you guys were more important" Charlie looked pointedly at Linda who returned his smile.

"Aw aren't you guys too cute!" Hayley laughed giving a very scared looking Goldberg an over-exaggerated kiss on the cheek.

"Dude, don't call me cute" Goldberg warned.

"Aw Goldie but you're the cutest of them all" Hayley teased, this time pinching his cheeks and making him blush even harder.

"So guys are we gonna stand around here all day or are we gonna do something? I vote we show them Bombay's pad" Charlie took charge.

"Do you guys have time for that?" Fulton asked sensibly.

"Yeah we should be good for time" Allie checked her watch. They had a few hours until they were meant to give Mel a call to come and get them.

The Ducks managed to get themselves and their friends into the cars that Hendrix Hockey had provided to the team to get them around LA and beyond.

"Wow this is nice" Hayley exclaimed as the car containing her, Allie, Fulton and Portman arrived at Bombay's Malibu house.

"Wait until you see the view" Portman said as he pulled into the driveway and parked behind Charlie's car.

"I hope you're not talking about _that_ view" Hayley complained from the backseat. The other three teenagers looked to where she was pointing to see Charlie and Linda making out.

"Oh thank God!" Allie and Portman exclaimed at the same time.

Linda had been driving the girls nuts with her constant nattering about how Charlie's a jerk.

And Charlie had been driving the Ducks nuts with his bad mood and constant moping over Linda being mad at him.

Hayley and Fulton raised an eyebrow at each other, Allie and Portman were so damn alike sometimes it was scary.

"Come on, I wanna see the real view" Hayley complained bopping Portman on the head in an attempt to get him to move so that she could get out. The car was one of those 2-door coupes.

"Alright, alright" Portman got out of the drivers seat and let the near giddy Hayley out of the back.

"At least we now know ocean air and Hayley aren't a good mix" Fulton whispered to Allie as she let him out of the car on the other side.

"Fulton be nice" Allie warned.

"Hey I am being nice, I made it the whole way out here from the airport without killing her" Fulton protested.

"Alright I'll give you that" Allie smiled as she watched her best friend annoy the hell out of her boyfriend.

"Come on guys! I wanna see this Bombay dude's crib" Hayley whined as she dragged Portman towards the front door.

"Not a good mix" Fulton reaffirmed as he and Allie followed Hayley and Portman into the house.

* * *

"Can we go down there? Can we? Can we?" Hayley sounded like a two year old child.

They'd seen the house and now they were being shown the ocean view and the secret stairway that led down to the beach.

Averman was finding it highly amusing. For once someone else was being tagged as the 'annoying one'.

"Come on then" Fulton rolled his eyes and opened the gate up for her.

Hayley tore down the steps at full speed.

He tried not to laugh when she came tearing back up the steps thinking that she'd been grossed out by all of the seaweed.

"There……..there….." she turned deathly white and couldn't speak.

"There what?" Fulton tried coaxing it out of her.

"B…..bo…..dy…..dead" she spat out.

"Huh?" Fulton couldn't understand her.

"Hang on a sec" Averman trudged down the steps hoping to find whatever it was that had spooked Hayley.

"NO DON'T!" Hayley screamed with horror at seeing Averman go down there.

Averman didn't listen. Fulton watched from the top of the steps as the mass of red hair disappeared down the flight of stairs.

"Aves? You alright down there?" Fulton called after him.

"Holy shit! Guys there's a dead body down here" Averman yelled.

"What?" Allie yelled back pushing past Fulton to see whether it was some elaborate joke that Hayley and Averman had come up with.

Portman of course, followed his girlfriend down the steps.

"Averman?" Allie asked cautiously when she couldn't see the redhead anywhere.

"Over here" Averman was in a little alleyway off to one side.

Sure enough there was a body lying in the alleyway.

"How cool is this?" Averman's eyes were wide with excitement.

"Dude you are one sick puppy" Portman covered his mouth when the stench of decomposing flesh hit him.

"Nah he's right in a way, it is kinda interesting. I mean it makes you wonder about who the person is and where they came from and most importantly how they ended up dead in an alleyway that obviously doesn't get used a lot' Allie stuck up for Averman as she looked around.

"Hey Allie lets play CSI" Averman exclaimed hoping she'd agree.

"No but lets call the cops and watch the real CSI people play CSI" Allie replied a little sarcastically.

"But where's the fun in that?" Averman pouted.

"Come on Averman" Portman grabbed Averman by the scruff of his neck and hauled him back up the steps towards the back deck of Bombay's place.

"Is there seriously a dead body down there?" Connie asked wide eyed.

"Yeah, I'm gonna call the police, Charlie what's the address here?" Allie turned towards Linda and Charlie who had managed to pry themselves off of each other long enough to hear that Hayley had found a dead body.

"I think Bombay might have a bill or two on the fridge, I'll come have a look" Charlie followed the tall blond inside.

"And no going down there" Charlie called over his shoulder to the rest of the Ducks.

"Aw" Averman was still bummed that no one would let him play crime scene investigator.

* * *

"Okay guys the cops are gonna be here soon. They said to stay away from the body" Charlie looked pointedly at Averman who pouted.

"Hayley are you okay?" Allie asked her friend who still looked pale.

Hayley didn't respond just nodded glumly.

A short time later the police showed up and took statements from Hayley, Averman and Allie.

"Probably another junkie" Charlie overheard a police officer say.

"Yeah we get a lot of those around this area" another agreed.

_WOW!_ Charlie thought, _thank god I want to be a professional hockey player and not a cop_.

Allie's ringing cell phone cut into the air.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Oh hey Mel" she gave a small smile.

"Now? Oh um okay we'll see you soon" Allie shut her cell.

"We have to go, Mel's almost here" Allie explained gently taking Hayley's arm.

"You're leaving so soon?" Portman asked sadly.

Allie nodded "Yeah, she's already here"

"You'll come back though right?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly we have to watch you guys win a tournament" Allie smiled.

"Damn straight!" Russ beamed proudly.

"Call me when you get there okay?" Portman grabbed his girlfriend in a big hug.

"Okay" Allie agreed watching Mel's rented Mercedes pull up in the driveway.

"Allie the car's red!" Linda exclaimed not sure whether she should be relieved that they have a car or shocked that it was such a bright, attention grabbing car.

"I know" Allie used the same tone Linda had just used with a raised eyebrow.

_Trust me to be the chick who likes black cars with friends who like bright coloured cars_.

"Well at least its not pink" Julie pointed out.

"Give her time, she'll want to trade it in for a pink one by the end of the week" Allie informed the girls.

"I thought Mel was the saner one" Fulton was now confused.

"She is, if it was Courtney then we'd be looking at the hot pink car right now" Allie laughed.

"Oh I think I get it now" Fulton decided he'd had enough of this conversation.

"Hayls are you coming?" Allie turned to her best friend who was still a little pale and very quiet. A far cry from the over-excited brunette she'd been when they'd first arrived.

Hayley nodded but didn't say anything. It took a hug from Russ and a few whispered words that no one else heard to get her to move to the car and say goodbye to everyone.

"Hey look its Russ the Cheerleader Whisperer" Averman nudged Goldberg who tried to stifle his laughter, unsuccessfully of course.

"Shut it Averman, you too Goldberg" Russ shot them a dirty look.

"Shutting up Mr Tyler sir" Averman replied making a lip zipping gesture with his right hand.

"So when's your next game?" Allie asked Charlie who was having trouble prying himself away from Linda.

Hockey talk definitely did the trick.

"Well we've got a few practice games before the real thing but according to the schedule they gave us this morning our first real game is on Saturday. I hope you guys can come, we're gonna dominate aren't we Ducks?" Charlie had turned from mushy boyfriend to hyper hockey fanatic in less than three seconds.

"Yeah" came the unenthusiastic chorus of the other Ducks. Anyone could tell they were starting to get tired from the day's events.

"Come on, we have to go" Mel called from the car.

After a few more goodbyes the three girls eventually got their stuff into the car and were on their way to their own little luxury mansion on the beach for the summer.

* * *

"So only three more games to win and you're in the championship game?" Linda asked her boyfriend as the enormous group laid spread out across the sand directly below the girl's Laguna house.

Averman had already complained five times since arriving that he didn't want to climb the stairs leading back up the cliff face towards the beachhouse, despite the fact that he'd already made three unnecessary trips back up to the house because he kept forgetting things.

"Yeah and then we'll probably have to play this team from Boston. They're really good" Charlie spoke with animation and passion for the sport he loved to play.

"Not as good as you Ducks though?" Allie cut in from her spot next to Portman. She was lying flat on her stomach and majority of the Ducks had thought she'd drifted off to sleep the way she was laying so still.

"Hell no one's as good as us Ducks babe you know that" Portman laughed as he placed one of his enormous hands on the small of her back.

"Yeah Allie!" the rest of the Ducks agreed good naturedly.

"Sorry guys my bad" Allie laughed rolling over to get some sun on her bare stomach whilst making sure her strapless bikini top didn't slip down in the process of moving.

"I can't believe we've been here six weeks already" Connie gushed taking in the serene surroundings of the clear blue water and the fresh white sand.

"I know, I'm starting to wonder why my father moved" Allie laughed. She still felt like an alien in the town she'd grown up in but she wasn't the least bit surprised at how some of the kids she'd gone to school with back then had turned out. A lot of them were tanned, miniskirted and bikinified versions of most of the girls at Eden Hall.

"Be glad he did" Linda warned looking over to a group of girls their age trying to flirt with the male Ducks from their sun chairs and bitch openly about the female Ducks and their friends.

"So are you guys coming to the game on Saturday?" Charlie ignored the group of girls staring at him, well more so his bare chest, and continued the hockey themed conversation.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" Linda told him with a yawn.

The Ducks and their friends had enjoyed a lazy three days on at the girls beachhouse whilst the team had some well deserved time off before the gruelling training regime started up again.

Hayley, Mel, Courtney and now Allie had all nodded off in the afternoon sun leaving the Ducks and Linda to talk hockey.

Allie awoke a good half an hour later to the sound of.

"Well it does solve Averman's problem of not training in the off season"

"HEY I RESENT THAT!" Averman's screeching voice actually woke up the entire group that were taking advantage of the afternoon snooze.

"Dude keep your voice down!" a very red Fulton hissed. And the redness wasn't from blushing either.

"Dude how sunburnt are you!" Portman gave his friend another look over. It was quite a funny sight to see the usually pale Fulton Reed now the shade of a tomato with his dark hair falling in his face.

"What?" Fulton asked before looking down at his arms and legs "Oh shit!" he added before gathering up his towel and trudging back up the stairs towards the house.

The second Fulton was out of sight the other Ducks burst into laughter.

"Oh man he looked so funny!" Goldberg hooted with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I know" Portman agreed until Allie slapped him on the chest and told him not to be so mean to his best friend.

"Yeah Portman" Julie agreed.

"Hey you were laughing too!" Portman whined.

"Yeah but I'm allowed to, he laughed at me when I got burned two weeks ago"

"Oh yeah that was funny"

"Shut up!"

"Make me"

"CHILDREN!" Connie screeched making Adam shudder as she'd just screamed in his ear.

"Thank you" Allie told Connie when Portman and Julie were too shocked at Connie's outburst to continue their argument.

"Oh my god!" Luis exclaimed looking up towards the house.

The rest of the group turned to see Fulton coming back down the stairs with what looked like a hefty dose of aloe vera gel slapped on his face and neck. He was wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt, a wide brimmed hat and dark sunglasses. He looked utterly ridiculous, especially since each item of clothing was black that contrasted sharply with his bright red skin.

"Guys no laughing" Charlie looked pointedly at Averman, Goldberg and Portman.

"Yeah well I'm not sitting here with _that_" Luis gestured to Fulton "I'm gonna go try my luck with the _ladies_" he gestured to the group of girls who had been bitching about Connie, Julie, Allie, Linda, Hayley, Mel and Courtney earlier.

"Don't get bitten" Connie grumped rolling her eyes when she saw the girls primping and preening in preparation for Luis' little 'visit'.

"But I bet he's hoping to" Julie laughed.

"Yeah and he wonders why he's got the Latin Lover reputation" Hayley yawned and stretched giving poor Goldberg an eyeful of tanned skin.

"Comfortable?" Julie asked Fulton who'd just plopped down beside her.

"NO" Fulton grumped.

Before Julie could comfort him further Charlie's cell phone started ringing.

"Weird, it's the number for Bombay's house" Charlie frowned at the caller ID.

"Just answer it Spazzway" Averman ordered.

"Hello?" Charlie gave Averman the finger for calling him Spazzway.

"Bombay!" Charlie's eyes lit up.

The rest of the Ducks tried to perfect their technique of listening in on the phone call without looking like they were listening.

"Cool" Charlie exclaimed looking even more excited than he had before.

When Charlie hung up the phone he remained silent.

Linda recognised the twinkle in his eye that suggested he was about to play a joke with the Ducks.

Finally Guy couldn't stand it any longer "What did Bombay want?" he asked.

"Oh nothing much" Charlie was remaining tight lipped.

"Come on Charlie, Bombay doesn't call for nothing much" Dwayne pointed out the obvious.

"He did this time"

Connie was now getting impatient and she knew how to get Charlie talking.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE CHARLIE JUST TELL US WHAT THE HELL BOMBAY WANTED!" she yelled causing several people, including Luis and his group of girls, to turn and stare at her.

And for the second time in the space of an hour, Adam was rubbing his ears.

"Okay, okay, jeez keep your panties on"

"Don't you start talking about my panties" Connie was now pissed off.

"I wasn't"

"You were too"

"GUYS!" Adam interjected.

"The Bankster, stopping the fight, Mr Bankeroonie" Averman started before Julie slapped him to stop.

"Charlie, what did Bombay want?" Adam asked in a calm manner.

"He's back in Malibu and told us he'd be staying with us for the rest of the tournament, there are you happy?" Charlie shot Connie a dirty look.

"Don't take that tone with me _Charlie_" Connie bit back.

"Guys" Adam warned again.

"As long as Charlie doesn't kiss Connie like he did Julie, we should be fine" Portman whispered.

"So not funny" Allie whispered back. The last thing she wanted was another enormous fight to erupt within the Ducks, especially when they have a few big games to win.

"Well I think I'm baked, I'm going inside" Hayley declared standing up.

"Me too" Allie agreed standing up and dusting the sand off of her butt.

"Hey guys where yas going? There's gonna be a cool party tonight and we're invited" Luis yelled over to the Ducks who were taking Hayley and Allie's cue and leaving the beach.

"Oh joy" Hayley whispered to Julie who nodded her agreement.

"We're just going back to the house Luis, you know where we'll be later" Charlie told him and several girls giggled.

"I don't think I wanna go to that party" Linda told Allie.

"Me neither" Allie agreed. She wasn't jealous of the girls checking out Dean it was more the fact that they were the type of girls Allie stayed away from, mostly because she usually ended up wanting to kick their asses.

"I'm gonna stay here with Luis" Guy spoke up getting ready to head over to the other group.

"Surprise! Surprise!" Connie mumbled under her breath.

"You know what me too" Russ decided.

"Me too" Dwayne thought he'd stay with his best friend.

So the Ducks divided and half went back up to the house whilst the other half stayed on the beach.

"So what did you guys want to do tonight?" Charlie asked collapsing onto the sofa.

"Not going to that party" Linda told him flopping down beside him.

"Nah screw that, Luis can have all of those stuck-up girls to himself" Ken spoke up.

"So any suggestions then?" Charlie asked.

"We can always have our own little party" Connie yelled from the bathroom.

"YEAH!" Averman agreed enthusiastically.

"Sounds good to me" Linda affirmed. She'd always preferred the Ducks company anyway.

"I'm gonna go get the beer!" Portman declared.

"I'm coming with you" Fulton decided.

Portman looked at the weirdly dressed Fulton and decided to take pity on him.

"Do we have any food in this house?" Goldberg asked Hayley.

"Probably not, I guess you and me are going to get food then" she told a very happy looking Goldberg.

"Oooh Goldberg and the cheerleader sitting in a tree" Averman only got the first line out before Hayley smacked him upside the head, hard.

"OUCH!" Averman screamed.

"You deserved that one Aves" Julie pointed out.

"Whatever" Averman grumbled and decided it was safer to sit on the sofa with Charlie and Linda.

The tasks were set out between the remaining people, Allie, Julie, Connie and Linda were in charge of decorations; Courtney, Mel and Adam were in charge of entertainment; and Averman, Charlie and Ken were in charge of setting up the outdoor furniture

By the time Portman and Fulton came back from the liquor store and Hayley and Goldberg arrived with the food the place was clean, decorated in Ducks colours and the balcony was decked out with enough chairs, cushions and pillows to allow everyone to sit comfortably.

"Dude where's the beer?" Charlie quizzed the Bash Brothers.

"Stupid fucking guy wouldn't believe I was 21, I had ID and everything!" Portman exploded.

Allie and Linda exchanged looks. The boys were going to be bummed out about the lack of beer for the rest of the night.

"We have some Tequila if anyone's interested" Hayley offered.

"Let the drinking games begin" Charlie announced excitedly.

_Oh this will be interesting_ Allie thought.

* * *

"Oh man I cannot move" Averman declared the following afternoon when the Ducks were finally starting to stir.

"Hayley you and your Tequila are EVIL!" Goldberg said barely lifting his head from the cushion on the floor.

"You didn't think that when you played spin the bottle and kissed Courtney" Julie laughed. She was one of the few that weren't severely hung over.

"Shut up catlady" Goldberg groaned.

"Hey guys what's happening?" Luis, Russ, Guy and Dwayne finally arrived back at the house.

"Oh nothing much, this lot are hung over and the rest of us aren't" Julie smirked at the sick Ducks.

"You guys had a party without us?" Russ pretended to be hurt.

"Yeah we figured that since you guys ditched us for the Malibu Barbie clones we'd have our own fun" Connie retorted as she cleared a heap of plastic shot glasses from the coffee table.

"And what fun it was!" Julie laughed eyeing the digital camera on the kitchen bench.

"Morning guys" Allie had emerged from the bedroom she was sharing with Dean, Charlie, Linda, Connie and Adam wearing a pair of shorts and a really old Harley Davidson shirt that obviously belonged to Portman.

"Afternoon Allie" Julie laughed at her friend's hair which almost resembled a blond bird's nest.

"Shit what time is it?" she asked grabbing a glass from the cupboard and checking the fridge for juice.

"About 3" Connie glanced at the clock.

"Wow, fun night hey!" she laughed.

"Hey guys did you have fun at your little party?" Charlie had now woken up and saw that Luis and the others had returned.

"Yeah man it was awesome" Guy exclaimed.

Connie, Julie and Allie took this as a sign that they shouldn't listen to any more if they didn't want to be offended and they retreated to the balcony leaving the boys inside.

"I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow, I like it here" Julie said taking another look at the incredible view of the ocean in front of her.

"I know, but your big hockey games are coming up and you get to see your old coach" Allie pointed out.

"Yeah I haven't seen Bombay since the day he kept our scholarships valid" Connie pointed out.

"According to Charlie he was at the JV/Varsity showdown" Julie told her.

"Nice of him to come and say congratulations" Connie scoffed.

"I guess he thinks we're Orion's team now" Julie countered.

"I guess"

"I'm gonna go for a swim" Julie suddenly changed the subject.

"Me too" Allie agreed knowing that the cold water would really wake her up.

* * *

"You know I thought there'd be more people here" Hayley looked around the arena surprised to find it only half filled.

"Yeah I know especially with the Ducks being famous and all" Courtney agreed.

"Its only really a school tournament, I guess it doesn't draw huge crowds like the Goodwill Games did" Linda decided.

"You have no idea how great it feels to just sit here and watch a game rather than being down there freezing your ass off in a short skirt and pom poms" Hayley sighed happily.

"Yeah I do" Allie laughed reminding Hayley that she was once a cheerleader.

"I meant Linda" Hayley pouted.

"Shhh here they come" Mel scolded pointing to the gate where the Ducks were entering the ice.

The girls laughed when all of the Ducks turned and waved at them.

"Wow those Boston players are huge" Hayley was the only one who wasn't watching the Ducks.

The girls turned to look and were surprised to see that the Boston team were even bigger than the old Varsity team back at Eden Hall. It was possible that they were even bigger than the Iceland team at the Goodwill Games.

"Okay Ducks gather around!" the girls heard Coach Orion call his team to the bench for a pep talk.

"You know I've always wondered what gets said in those little huddle thingys" Courtney informed the others.

"Something like 'win or I'll kill you' perhaps?" Hayley put on her best innocent face.

"No wonder Averman's scared of you" Allie laughed.

"And for the Ducks, no. 99 Adam Banks to take the face off" a voice much less annoying than the one at Eden Hall came over the loudspeaker.

And the game began.

* * *

"Great game guys" Allie told the Ducks when they'd emerged from the locker room looking much less sweaty and tired than they had when the game ended.

"Yeah right, we lost in overtime" Charlie wasn't happy with the outcome.

"So? You can't win them all and those guys were pretty good. At least you didn't get thrashed, they only won by one goal" Hayley told Charlie.

"I guess" Charlie still wasn't overly convinced.

"Well I think you're still great" Allie tried to make Charlie feel better, more so for Linda's sake. Charlie was going to be in a pissy mood for the rest of the trip now.

_Thank God we're coming home tomorrow_ Allie thought.

"Are you guys still staying with us tonight?" Ken asked the girls.

"Yeah we gave the house keys back to the owner yesterday _and _you'll have to put up with us on the flight home too" Hayley pinched Ken's cheek.

"Do that again and you'll die in your sleep" Ken warned.

"Aw he's so cute when he's mad" Hayley laughed causing several Ducks to start teasing Ken about being cute.

"Can we _please_ go get some food I'm starving!" Portman complained holding his stomach like he was going to die of starvation.

"Oh you poor baby" Allie laughed as Portman reached out and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her towards him.

"Okay let's go" Charlie took charge and led the group away from the arena where the Boston team and their fans were still celebrating their victory.


	31. Senior Year

"This is gonna be so freaking awesome!" Julie exclaimed as Allie helped her with her bags.

"I know it feels so weird to be a senior" Allie eyed the now familiar buildings of Eden Hall.

"You realise this is the last time we'll have to do this" Julie was practically bouncing with excitement now.

"And the next time we do this we'll be in COLLEGE!" she shrieked causing several people to turn and stare.

Allie almost dropped the bag she was carrying because she was laughing so hard.

"Hey girls what's so funny?" Russ and Dwayne emerged from the building to find Julie all excited about something, Allie almost wetting herself with laughter and several strangers staring at them.

"Julie's finally gone off the deep end" Allie managed to choke out as Dwayne made a grab for the bag that was falling out of Allie's hands.

"I have not, I'm just excited that we're SENIORS!" she dropped the box she was carrying and embraced Russ, Allie and Dwayne in a group hug.

"Jules its not that exciting. Graduation will be more exciting because it means we'll be outta here for good" Russ reasoned.

"Nuh uh" Julie argued.

"Sorry Jules, I agree with Russ" Allie told a pouting Julie.

"Fine then" Julie gave up and let the three students go.

"Aw Jules, don't be mad" Dwayne pleaded watching the goalie pout. She'd been hanging around with Connie way too long.

"I'm not mad" Julie protested picking up the box and heading into the building.

Russ just shrugged and gestured for the other two to follow.

* * *

"You look tired hon" Allie told her boyfriend who had just arrived in the cafeteria for lunch.

"Senior year is gonna be hard" Portman complained sitting down next to her.

He was unaware of a group of freshman girls staring at him in awe.

"Tell me about it" the second Bash Brother plonked his butt down on the other side of Allie.

"Aw come on it can't be that bad" Allie laughed.

"If we wanna get into Harvard it is" Portman placed his head on the table.

"We? Fulton are you going for law too?" Allie turned to Fulton as she placed an arm across Dean's shoulders and rubbed his back.

"Yeah" Fulton answered softly. He didn't want any of the other Ducks to hear about it and tease him.

"That's great" Allie gave him an encouraging smile.

Fulton returned the smile. That was one of the things he loved about her. You could tell her anything and she'd always support you no matter what.

The rest of the Ducks filled the table a few at a time, each one looking equally as tired as Fulton and Portman did.

"Orion's called a 4.30 practice" Charlie informed the group from his spot at the head of the table.

"IN THE MORNING?" Goldberg screeched attracting some attention.

The others shared his opinion, staring at Charlie as if he'd just sprouted a third eye in his forehead.

"No this afternoon" Charlie told the group who weren't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"But hockey season hasn't begun yet" Averman stated the obvious.

"Since when does Orion give a damn about that?" Connie told him.

"True" Averman agreed.

"Hey guys!" Hayley called to them as she passed their table. She reached out and ruffled Goldberg's hair as she went.

"Hey Hayley" the group, including Fulton who seemed to have forgiven his ex and had become her friend over the summer, called back.

"No offence Allie but I think her main goal in life is to annoy the crap out of me" Goldberg whinged as he tried to smooth his hair back down.

"Goldie just remember, it makes you look good having a cheerleader paying you _special attention_" Luis told him.

"There's nothing special about it Latino Lover" Goldberg wasn't being convinced otherwise.

"Don't worry Goldberg, Hayley's practically harmless" Allie laughed.

"Yeah and it's the _practically_ part I'm worried about" Goldberg joked back.

"Allie can I ask you a favour?" Julie asked from her spot next to Connie.

"Sure Jules"

"You know that dress we found in your closet? You know the one you bought in New York but never wore?"

"Yes you can borrow it for the welcome back dance" Allie laughed knowing exactly what Julie was about to ask.

"Thanks, Scooter said he'd try to come back to be my date" Julie beamed happily.

"That's great" Allie exclaimed happy for the chance to see one of her best friends again.

"So I've gotta find a real date now?" Fulton asked pretending to be hurt. For past dances he and Julie had always gone together as friends.

"Sorry Fult" Julie apologised with the smile still plastered on her face.

"Nah its okay, might get Hayley to hook me up with one of the cheerleaders" Fulton ran his hands through his hair trying to do his best Luis impersonation.

"Dude why didn't you just ask me? I have the 411 on all things cheerleader" Luis piped up and everyone tried to hide their laughter at Luis' oblivion that Fulton was actually mocking him.

Fulton was saved from having to respond tactfully by the bell ringing.

"Argh back to the slave pit" Fulton groaned getting up from the table as slowly as he could.

"So what's next?" Julie asked Fulton as she pulled out her own schedule.

"American History, damn!" Fulton cursed knowing that this was going to be yet another torturous lesson, especially with the "Dwarf Giant" as the students so lovingly called their teacher, the reason being his usual spiel about the dwarf riding the giant's shoulders in history.

"Hey I've got that next too" Allie piped up with her eyes glued to her own schedule.

"This bites, I've got drama next. I didn't even know I took drama" Portman complained.

"I've got that too!" Averman clasped his hand on Portman's shoulder and looked up at him with a cheerful grin.

"Well at least its one Duck I can hang with" Portman complained.

"Don't worry dude, I'll take fine care of your lady" Fulton held his arm out to Allie who laughed and took it.

"Come on lets get a good seat up the back, Dwarf Giant talks so loud that your ears hurt if you sit up front" Allie told Fulton before giving her boyfriend a kiss goodbye.

"Have fun in drama babe" she told him before leaving the cafeteria with Fulton passing the same group of freshman girls who were now staring at her in awe wondering how she was so close with both of the Bash Brothers.

"Wow she's so lucky" Allie and Fulton heard one of the girls say.

"And she's not even a cheerleader" another said.

The pair tried not to laugh.

"I think you've got some fans" Fulton whispered.

"Nah I think they're _your _fans. After all _I'm so lucky!_" Allie lost control and starting laughing.

"Damn straight you are. Only privileged people get walked to class by me" Fulton started playing along.

"Fult you're in my class" Allie pointed out.

"Oh yeah but still" Fulton tried to keep his argument going.

"Fult quit while you're ahead" Allie told him as they dodged the sea of students trying to get to their next class.

"Hey guys wait up" Charlie called behind Fulton and Allie.

The pair turned to let the captain catch up.

"Hey Charlie whats up?" Allie asked.

"Got American History, not looking forward to it" Charlie told them as he walked on the other side of Allie.

"Us neither" Fulton was still complaining.

"I need it to get into college though" Charlie reasoned.

"Us too" Allie told him.

"Did you hear Portman got stuck in drama of all subjects?" Charlie laughed.

"Yep and he's really pissed about it. Poor Averman, he's the only other Duck in that class" Fulton laughed.

The trio arrived at their classroom and took the row at the back with Charlie and Fulton flanking Allie.

* * *

"Can you believe its mid-terms already?" Connie asked her study group which consisted of Julie, Ken, Adam, Russ Dwayne and Allie. They had all gathered in the common room to tough it out for their upcoming mid-terms.

"Nope and I couldn't believe the last fifty times you've asked us that question" Russ was getting irritated. They'd been at it for around two hours now and the text in his books were starting to float around.

"Guys I think we should take a quick break" Adam suggested seeing that Connie was about to blow her stack.

"Finally!" Ken declared throwing his pen down.

"Okay we'll meet back here in say what half an hour?" Adam looked at his watch. It was only four thirty. They could still get in two more solid hours of studying before dinner.

"Yeah" the others replied.

At the start of the hockey season Coach Orion had declared that he no longer wanted any B players on his team. He now demanded that they all get A's. A lot of them knew it was a tactic to try to get them to get the highest grades possible to get into good colleges. Whilst they hated him for it at the moment, they'd be thanking him in the future when they've all gotten into their chosen colleges.

Allie, Hayley and Linda had all thought it was a good idea too so they started studying with the Ducks. It was the only way they could actually spend more time with their boyfriends and friends.

"Where are you going?" Ken asked Allie.

"For a run, I need to clear my head really badly" Allie replied.

"Its raining though" Ken pointed out.

"Oh well I guess I'm gonna go hit the treadmill then" Allie replied.

"Can I come?" Ken asked wondering if it would clear his head too.

"Sure" Allie replied slipping her feet back into her trainers.

Twenty eight minutes, a cold bottle of water and a quick shower later the pair returned to their study session.

About forty minutes into it they were interrupted by Portman's big booming voice.

"No way in hell am I going to say that!"

Three seconds later the group looked up to see his giant frame burst through the door with a half laughing Averman trailing behind him.

"Oh come on its not that bad" Averman was pleading with him.

"If its not that bad then YOU say it" Portman flung back.

"What's going on?" Allie jumped up.

"Our stupid drama teacher thought it'd be cool to do a play for our final exam that was based on a popular movie and she chose American Pie 2 and guess what? I have to play Steve Stifler!" Portman exploded.

"So what? I have to play Jim, hello! I have to have my hand glued to my privates!" Averman exclaimed suddenly wishing he didn't make that outburst as the entire common room burst out laughing.

"And what's the problem hon?" Allie asked.

"I have to get peed on and pretend to like it!" Portman responded glaring at anyone who dared to laugh at him.

"I'm sure it wont be real pee babe" Allie reasoned.

"Are you sure?" Portman wasn't easily convinced.

"Positive" Allie smiled at her boyfriend.

"Okay then" Portman relaxed.

"Hey wait a minute y'all. I've seen that movie. Don't you have to kiss Averman?" Dwayne spoke up.

"WHAT?" Averman and Portman both screeched looking at each other horrified.

* * *

"I can't believe we graduate in less than three months!" Julie exclaimed as she flicked through several college brochures that were sitting on her nightstand.

"I know it seems surreal doesn't it" Allie replied thoughtfully. It only felt like yesterday that she was a freshman starting out at Eden Hall, dating Scooter and later avoiding the then unwanted advances of Dean Portman.

"Tell me about it, I mean one day I'm playing hockey in Bangor, the next I'm playing Hockey in LA representing the USA then the third day I'm playing for Eden Hall and now all of a sudden I'm graduating high school and thinking about college!" Julie threw the brochure on the floor. It landed on top of a pile of other discarded brochures for various colleges across the country.

"So do you have a college in mind?" Allie asked half expecting Julie to say "USC" so she can be with Scooter. The long distance relationship thing was going surprisingly well.

"I have no friggin idea, I mean I have thought about USC but really, can you imagine _me_ in California for four years?" Julie laughed at the thought.

Allie had to laugh too, Julie definitely wasn't one to buy into the whole trendy LA scene. Hell even she'd have a hard time in California and she used to live there!

"What about you?" Julie asked. She was interested to know whether Allie was going to stay with Portman or try to do the long distance thing as well.

"Hopefully Harvard, Dean and Fulton have applied for the law school and I'm going for psychology" Allie laughed at Julie's shocked face. She knew what she was thinking, _Portman and Fulton in Law School?_

"Wow, you know I never thought of Harvard until just now" she replied.

"Seriously? I would have thought with your grades you'd be dying to get into there" Allie knew Julie worked incredibly hard to maintain her straight A's. She knew because she'd done the same thing and Julie was a great study buddy, Dean was too much of a distraction so now they studied separately.

"Just slipped my mind I guess, plus I don't think they let girls play hockey there" Julie was trying to recall why she wasn't interested in the posh school in the first place.

"JULIE! OH MY GOD WE HAVE TO GO TO THIS!" Connie came screaming into the dorm room clutching a flyer in her hand.

"Oh hey Allie" Connie acknowledged the other girl amidst all her excitement.

"Hey" Allie replied.

"Go to what Cons?" Julie asked.

Connie thrust the flyer at her "This!" she replied.

Julie scanned the flyer a huge smile creeping across her face.

"Cons please tell me you have tickets" Julie handed the flyer to Allie.

"Adam's getting them now, I'm guessing you wanna come!" Connie was getting giddy again.

"YES!" Julie screamed and the two roommates jumped up and down as they gripped each other's hands.

"Allie are you coming? I can tell Adam to get another ticket" Connie stopped bouncing long enough to ask.

Allie glanced down at the flyer and shook her head "Nah sorry guys Maroon 5 isn't really my kind of band" she replied knowing that Dean would rather cut his own foot off than go to their concert. He called them 'teenybopper wannabe rockers'.

(_A/N – I have nothing against the band Maroon 5 its just that the characters of Allie and Portman are meant to be into metal bands – mainly what is known as 'death metal' – so I'm trying to keep it consistent)_

"But you'll help us get ready right?" Julie looked down at her friend sitting on the bed with big pleading eyes.

Allie laughed "Jules you know my closets always open to you and Connie" she replied.

"Allie you're the best!" the girls screamed and launched themselves on top of her.

"Hey wait for me!" Allie heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Averman's as she felt the weight of another two people land on top of her, Connie and Julie.

"DUCK STACKS ON!" she heard Charlie yell.

"OH NO!" Allie tried to yell but was muffled by someone's shoulder.

"Hey guys my girlfriend's under there!" she heard Adam complain.

"Oof" Allie let out a groan as she felt even more weight being piled on top of her.

"Um I think mine's under there too, hey get off! No one gets on top of my girlfriend but me" Allie heard Portman say and that was enough to get everyone off of the girls.

"Thanks for sharing that Portman" Goldberg patted Portman on the shoulder as he took a seat on Julie's bed.

"I think I lost my glasses" Averman complained as he squinted trying to see around him.

Allie felt them underneath her arm and hoped they hadn't been crushed under the pile of Ducks.

Finally Connie and Julie were able to get off of her and Allie sat up holding Averman's glasses in her hand.

"Here Ave. God you guys are heavy" she fake glared at the team surrounding her who immediately looked sheepish.

"You okay baby?" Portman asked concerned. He'd been kinda worried about their relationship lately. His mother still hadn't let up on Allie and he could see that it bothered her but she wouldn't talk to him about it.

"Yeah I'm fine just wasn't expecting that, oh and" she whacked Portman on the arm.

"Ow what was that for?" Portman asked confused.

"No one gets on top of my girlfriend but me?" Allie mimicked his earlier comment.

"Damn straight!" Portman replied earning him another thump to the arm.

"Ouch" the other Ducks commented laughing at the tough hockey player getting beaten up by his long-time girlfriend as she whacked him again.

"So who's coming to this concert then?" Adam spoke up taking charge on this rare occasion.

"What concert?" Portman asked eyeing Allie who shook her head indicating that he wouldn't want to go.

"Maroon 5 are playing in St Paul" Adam explained.

The look on Dean's face said it all as the others clearly got the hint that the answer was no.

"I'll go" Charlie piped up knowing Linda would die to see one of her favourite bands. It was a pity that it wasn't Pantera playing otherwise he knew Allie and Portman would be there like shots.

"Taking Linda?" Adam asked grabbing a pad and pen from Connie's desk.

Charlie nodded.

He wrote something down that was obviously a list of people who were going.

"Fulton will you go with me so I'm not with stuck with all the couples?" Julie asked Fulton.

Fulton screwed his face up. He obviously didn't want to go.

"I'll go with you my lovely Julie" Luis spoke up grabbing Julie's hand and making a great show of kissing it.

Julie yanked her hand away looking up at Fulton again "Pleeeeeaaaaasssssssse Fulton!" she begged.

"How could I say no to that?" Fulton laughed as Julie leapt off the bed and threw her arms around him.

"You are the best Fult!" she laughed feeling very glad that she wasn't going to be stuck with Luis.

"I'll go, I think I have a date tonight and this will make me look impressive" Goldberg spoke up suddenly becoming very interested in his shoes when he saw several pairs of eyes focused on him.

"You _think_ you have a date?" Connie rushed over to her childhood friend.

"Well I don't know exactly, she said '_hey you, the hockey guy, lets go out tonight'_ and I said '_okay'_" Goldberg was still in shock about how the confident brunette cheerleader had asked him to go out with her. He didn't even know her name.

Connie laughed softly "Aw Goldie you big stud!" she teased making the large defenseman turn bright red.

"So who is she?" Connie asked.

"I don't know, all I know is that her dorm room is no. 249" he replied proudly.

"249, hmmm, well that's just down the hall, let's go find out" Connie went to march out of the door but was stopped by Goldberg.

"Nooo! I'll go" Goldberg panicked stepping out of the room.

He stuck his head back in a second later "Which way is it?" he asked sheepishly.

"Come on I'll show you!" Connie laughed following Goldberg out of the room.

"So anyone else coming? I have Charlie, Linda, Julie, Fulton, Luis, Goldberg and his mystery girl and Connie and I so far" Adam looked around the room.

"No freaking way, I'm not listening to some pretty white boy croon about getting laid" Russ shook his head firmly "Now if it was Snoop rappin about getting laid then hell yeah I'd be in" he added.

"Yeah even I'd go see Snoop before Maroon 5" Portman agreed with Russ who knocked fists with him in an alliance.

"Me too but Julie begged me, did you see it, she _begged_ me!" Fulton pleaded his case.

Allie had to laugh at Fulton, Julie sure had him wrapped around her little finger. In a good way of course.

"Holy shit guys" Connie came racing back into the room. Goldberg was nowhere in sight.

"What?" Julie asked aching to know the gossip.

"Goldberg's date is Jessica Bryant!" Connie gasped.

"Who?" Adam asked earning a _good boy_ look from Connie.

"Jess Bryant, you know tall, skinny, can be bitchy when she wants to be, long dark brown hair, cheerleader, hangs out with Hayley on rare occasions" Allie knew who Jess Bryant was and was surprised that she'd asked Goldberg out. Not because she thought Jess could do so much better but because snobbish girls like Jess never ever gave nice guys like Goldberg the time of day.

"Nope, never seen her before" Adam confirmed Connie's dream that he only ever notices her.

"Oh wait I know the one, gets drunk and kisses at least 4 guys per party" Guy spoke up.

"That's the one" Allie confirmed.

"Well she's in the process of corrupting our poor widdle Goldberg right now, he told her he had gotten Maroon 5 tickets and she practically grabbed him and tried to swallow him whole, it was quite disturbing" Connie pretended to be horrified as the others laughed.

"What? I'm serious" she pouted.

"Okay is that it? Anyone else wanna come?" Adam asked wanting to get a move on with things. Organising a group of Ducks to do anything was a long, painful task.

The remaining Ducks shook their heads. They didn't really want to go.

"Okay then, I'm just gonna go order them" Adam informed as he and Connie left the room.

"I'm gonna go tell Linda" Charlie had the realisation that he'd better tell Linda what he'd planned before she made other arrangements.

"So what did you wanna do tonight beautiful?" Portman turned to his girlfriend and stroked her hair.

"Hmmm let me think about it and I'll get back to you" Allie replied shifting slightly. All she really wanted to do was spend one night alone with Portman but she didn't want to come out and say it in case she offended any of the others who weren't going to the concert.

"Oh okay" Portman of course was thinking rude thoughts. He moved his hand down to snake around her waist caressing her neck, shoulders and back on the way down.

"I'm heading back to my dorm, I'll catch you guys later" Allie suddenly getting an idea and jumping up and running out of the door leaving Portman sitting in a daze on the bed.

"Is she okay?" Russ asked softly. It appeared everyone noticed that Allie was acting a little weird lately.

Portman simply shrugged.

"Shouldn't you go and find out?" Guy prompted knowing that for Allie to be acting weird then something big had to be going on.

"I guess" Portman was still out of it as he walked out of the dorm room.

* * *

"Hey what are you doing back so soon?" Hayley looked up from her homework.

She had expected Allie to be out studying with Julie for hours.

"The rest of the guys are going to that Maroon 5 concert in St Paul" Allie replied landing heavily on her bed.

"Good for them" Hayley replied rolling her eyes. She wasn't a fan of the band either.

"So where's Portman?" Hayley asked. She'd been dancing around this topic for a while now sensing that something had happened and that Allie was reluctant to talk about it.

Allie dropped her head "Still at Julie's I guess, I don't know I just kinda left" she replied needing to get it off of her chest.

"Are you okay?" Hayley asked sitting her notebook down.

Allie shook her head "No, not really"

Hayley got up and sat down in front of Allie.

"Honey what's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Its just so damn frustrating being in love with someone who's loved ones absolutely _hate_ you" Allie let it out.

"Why what happened?" Hayley asked.

"Kate decided that since she's friends with the Dean now she was entitled to access my personal records because she felt she had to check up on who her son was dating."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hayley exploded.

"Nope, anyway she must have snuck into the file room and taken a look because now she's been leaving messages on my phone about how a girl who takes drugs and tries to sleep with hockey players just isn't good enough for her son"

"What? I don't get it" Hayley was confused.

"Neither did I until I remembered that incident with Josh Stiles and Rick Riley. She must have read the notes on that and decided it was all my fault"

"Does Portman know?" Hayley asked.

"Nah and I'm not going to tell him" Allie was firm.

"Sure your secret's safe with me"

"Thanks its just so damn hard putting up with her crap all of the time, he doesn't need it as well" Allie vented.

"Aw sweetie his mother is a lunatic and we all know it" Hayley tried to make her friend feel better.

"Doesn't change the fact that she is his mother and he loves her" Allie replied. It wasn't like she wanted Dean to start hating his mother it was more the fact that his mother just wouldn't let up on Allie even when she knows how much her only son loves her.

"I guess but its fun to bag her isn't it?" Hayley asked grinning when she saw Allie let a small smile escape.

"Yeah, gotcha!" Hayley pointed her finger at Allie and laughed.

"Okay I'll admit it, momma bashing is kinda fun but only because she's acting like a total bitch" Allie laughed carefully saying that his mother was "acting like a bitch" as opposed to just plain being a bitch in case it came back to bite her on the ass later on.

"What's the time?" Hayley asked when their laughter had died down.

"Five thirty why?" Allie asked remembering that Connie and Julie would be pounding down her door any moment now.

"Shoot! I forgot I have a date!" Hayley leapt up off the bed and started rummaging around in her closet.

"With who?" Allie asked excitedly.

"Steve McNamara" Hayley mumbled as she threw a pair of jeans over her shoulder.

"Steve McNamara? As in the starting center for Blake College?" Allie asked amazed. How did Hayley even know Steve McNamara?

"Yep one and the same, I've had my quota of Eden Hall hockey players" Hayley replied checking out a pair of black hip huggers.

"Hayls you've only been out with one Eden Hall hockey player" Allie pointed out.

"Believe me one was enough" Hayley replied causing both girls to start laughing again.

* * *

Portman paused outside Allie's dorm room door.

_Is she laughing?_ He wondered at the noise coming from the room.

He was so sure she'd been bummed about something when she'd abruptly left Julie's room.

Pausing once more before he finally gathered the courage to knock on the door.

The door flew open and he was greeted by his girlfriend's roommate and best friend.

"Hey just in time, from what I hear there's gonna be three half naked females in here very soon" Hayley cackled laughing hysterically when the saw the mixture of shock and excitement register on Portman's face.

"Sorry babe I wont be one of them" Allie too laughed when she saw his face fall.

"So its not my birthday then?" Portman finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Nope sorry, just Hayls, Cons and Jules trying on various items of my wardrobe" Allie laughed

"Damn, should I go get Fulton?" Portman asked before he realised what he'd just said.

"Sorry Hayley I didn't mean…..." he started.

"No that's okay, I have my own hockey player now" Hayley didn't see the '_don't go there'_ look Allie was giving her.

"Huh? Who?" Portman replied curious to know. His assumption was that she was either going out with one of the Ducks or one of the JV members.

"Steve McNamara, do you know him?" Hayley asked sweetly knowing very well that Dean knew who he was.

Before Dean could answer Connie and Julie had arrived.

"Hey guys" Connie burst through the door with an armload of make up, clothes and shoes. Julie entered right behind her with the same amount of stuff.

Portman looked from one girl to the next realising that it would be in his best interest to come back later.

"Um I'm gonna go find Fulton" Portman informed retreating to the door.

Allie followed him out "You're gonna come back later aren't you?" she asked.

Portman stared at her "Do you want me to?" he asked.

Allie slapped his arm "Duh of course I want you to, I'm getting you all to myself tonight" she smiled before pulling him in for a kiss to indicate that she wasn't lying.

"Aw I don't wanna leave now" Portman whined.

"It'll only be an hour" Allie pointed out.

"But now I wanna stay here and have my way with you" Portman flashed her a mischievous grin as he grabbed her around the waist.

"Not with us in here you're not" Connie yelled looking horrified.

"Go, Fulton needs you" Allie laughed as she pushed her boyfriend out the door.

"Alright" Dean looked defeated but obliged nevertheless.

* * *

Allie had finally gotten her three friends to the stage where each was happy with how they looked.

Connie and Julie had been completely shocked when they found out Steve McNamara was Hayley's date for the evening. Especially when Connie answered the door when he knocked on it looking for his date.

Fortunately there was no insult flinging since none of the male Ducks were there.

Allie was just in the process of trying to sort out whose clothes were whose when Portman came back to the dorm.

"Hey honey' Portman let himself in the room and kissed her on the neck.

"Are the naked people gone?" he asked jokingly.

"Yeah, remind me _never_ to become a stylist" Allie laughed.

"Okay, Allie don't become a stylist" Portman replied with a cheeky smile.

"Smart ass" Allie shoved him.

"So do you wanna go out tonight or stay in?" Portman asked suddenly realising he sounded like an old married man. He kinda liked it.

"Stay in, we could rent a few DVDs then not watch them" Allie suggested playfully.

Portman got the hint "Okay" he replied a little overenthusiastically. It had been a while since they'd been intimate with each other but tonight all of their stresses seemed to fly out of the window.


	32. Senior Prom & Graduation

"Have you guys seen Portman?" Allie asked Charlie and Adam as she passed them in the hall.

"Nah we haven't seen him for a while" Charlie replied.

Allie stared at Adam who couldn't quite meet her eye.

"Okay" she replied slowly still looking at Adam who looked like he was trying to hold in a really big secret.

"Maybe he's at your dorm room" Charlie suggested with what Allie would describe as a twinkle in his eye.

_Okay somethings definitely up_ she thought.

"Thanks" she said and continued down the hall towards the exit.

"Hey Allie!" Fulton called breathlessly.

"Hi Fult" Allie searched Fulton's face for any kind of strangeness.

"So going to your room huh?" Fulton asked looking from side to side.

_Now he's acting weird_ Allie thought.

"Yeah was thinking about it, is there any reason I shouldn't?" Allie asked cryptically.

"Nope I think it's a great idea" Fulton replied a little too enthusiastically.

"Are you boys up to something?" Allie came right out and asked.

Fulton put on his best innocent face "No"

"Right well I'll see you later" Allie said suddenly keen to get to her dorm room.

"Bye" Fulton called hoping he'd stalled her for long enough.

Allie approached her dorm room feeling surprised it looked normal from the outside.

_Well what did you expect anyway?_ She asked herself.

It was when she opened the door she got the surprise.

* * *

Portman had gone to the trouble of laying red rose petals all over the room. Leaving two large vases full of roses on either sides of the window below a giant sign that read "Prom?" and Portman standing with a massive grin on his face. 

"Oh my god" Allie exclaimed looking around.

Her smile grew wider when she noticed her boyfriend wearing a tux and holding something in his hands.

"So will you go to prom with me?" Portman asked flashing her a cheeky grin.

"YES!" Allie screamed launching herself at him and giving him a huge hug.

"Good then you might be needing this" Portman opened the box he was holding to reveal a pair of diamond drop earrings.

"Portman they're beautiful" Allie exclaimed staring in awe at the earrings.

"Not half as beautiful as you" Portman whispered kissing her cheek.

"I can't accept this, they're too expensive" Allie told Portman who was hearing none of it.

"Yes you can, I love you and I knew you'd love these" Portman gave her his trademark 'look'.

"I love you too, thank you" Allie told him wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

* * *

"I got it!" Julie was running down the hallway yelling ahead to the group of Ducks that were congregated by the lockers. 

"Got what Catlady?" Goldberg asked.

"Valedictorian, the Dean's just asked me" Julie cried happily.

"Wow, congratulations Julie" Connie told her friend.

"Thanks, oh man I've gotta make a speech don't I?" Julie just realised what being Valedictorian meant.

"Yep, I don't envy you" Russ told her.

"Thanks a lot Russ" Julie rolled her eyes.

"So anyone know why Portman's looking so damn pleased with himself?" Charlie asked spotting his large teammate strutting down the hall.

"Allie agreed to go to prom with him" Julie supplied the information.

"Who else would she go with?" Charlie asked.

"I dunno, I think its cute though. You should have seen what he bought her" Julie was mainly talking to Connie.

"What?" Connie was suckered in for a piece of gossip.

"These gorgeous diamond earrings"

"Wow" Connie was impressed. She couldn't be jealous though. Adam had bought her numerous items of expensive jewellery throughout their relationship. Connie's favourite being a gold and diamond clad "C" which she wore around her neck every day.

"Is Scooter coming down for prom Jules?" Russ asked out of interest.

"No, he's got exams that he needs to study for" Julie couldn't hide her disappointment. She would have loved to go to her senior prom with her boyfriend but she had the next best thing, her best guy friend Fulton.

"Bummer" Russ commented.

"I'll say" Julie agreed.

* * *

"Allie I seriously need your help" Hayley pushed her way through the sea of students to approach her best friend by her locker. 

"That seems to be the phrase of the day" Allie replied with a smile.

"Huh?" Hayley was confused.

"Oh Julie got Valedictorian so she asked me to help with her speech and Charlie asked me what he should buy Linda for a graduation present" Allie explained.

"They're so cute together" Hayley had forgotten why she was there in the first place.

"So what do you need help with?" Allie turned the conversation back to its original topic.

"Well I'm on the prom committee and we're totally stuck for a theme, everything we come up with has been done before" Hayley looked to her friend for the answers only to find her staring at the crowd of Ducks a few feet down the hall.

"Allie? Hello?" Hayley didn't think Allie was listening to her.

"Okay I've got it. It's the Ducks graduating year right and before the Ducks attended this school we were the Eden Hall Warriors"

"So?" Hayley cut in.

"So why not do a Ducks themed prom to honor the Ducks changing, and I'm gonna quote Linda here, 'the demeaning Warrior name'. It kinda seems fitting for their last year don't you think?" Allie laid out her idea.

"Allie you are a genius, thank you" Hayley exclaimed grabbing Allie in a hug and jumping down on the spot with her.

The pair earned themselves several odd looks from their fellow students.

"No problem, if you need some more ideas then Connie would be the one to ask considering she's been a Duck since pee wees" Allie advised.

"Cool, thanks again. I'll catch you later, I have a prom to organise" Hayley put on a fake important voice as she spun on her heel and skipped off down the hall in her cheerleading uniform.

* * *

"Allie? Is that you?" David Taylor called from his study upon hearing the front door open. 

"Yeah dad" Allie appeared at the doorway with Portman in tow.

"Hello Dean" Mr Taylor greeted his daughter's long time boyfriend.

"Hey Mr Taylor" Portman replied feeling a little intimidated like he always did when he was around Allie's dad.

"Allie we have to go to Boston this weekend. I have a little surprise for you. Dean you must come too" Mr Taylor told his daughter and Portman.

"Boston? Why?" Allie asked.

"You'll see and no, you're not going to sweet talk me into telling you beforehand" Mr Taylor replied before she'd even had a chance to open her mouth.

"That is so unfair" Allie pouted.

"You've got to watch this one Dean, she knows how to get anything out of you before you've realised you've done it" Mr Taylor laughed.

Dean had to laugh knowing Allie's father was right.

"Hey you're supposed to be on my side" Allie thumped Dean in the side.

"And that will get you every time" Mr Taylor continued chuckling.

"So what are you kids up to this afternoon?" Mr Taylor changed the subject before his daughter got angry at being picked on.

"Swimming, haven't done it since Laguna" Allie told her father.

"Excellent, the pool has just been cleaned so test the PH level first" he warned.

"Thanks dad" Allie was grateful for the piece of advice. She didn't particularly feel like getting burnt eyes from too much chlorine.

The water was fine and the couple lazed about the pool talking and laughing.

"How good is this break they've given us" Portman sighed happily as he floated on a pool chair next to Allie.

"Great but its meant for studying though" Allie reminded him.

"Well I can think of a better way to spend my time than studying" Portman wiggled his eyebrows at Allie and ran his hand up her bare thigh.

"You wish babe, my dad's home!" she slapped his hand away laughing.

"Aw man" Portman complained.

"You'd better behave if you want him to take you to Boston with us" Allie pointed out.

"Oh okay" Portman sulked even further.

* * *

"He got you an apartment to live in?" Julie asked from her spot on Allie's bed. 

"Yeah and not just any old apartment, a two storey studio apartment with four bedrooms and three secure car parking spaces underground. Its so huge!" Allie exclaimed.

She'd just been telling Julie, Hayley and Linda about the surprise her father had planned in Boston.

"Wow I wish I was going to Harvard now" Linda glanced at a photo Allie had shown them.

"We're thinking of asking Fulton to live with us" Allie informed the other girls.

"He'll love that" Julie said.

"Hey sorry I'm late Adam was being overly affectionate today" Connie burst through the door with her arms full of fashion magazines.

"Know the feeling" Linda laughed and shifted over a little so that Connie could fit on the bed.

"What's that?" Connie asked pointing to the photos.

"My dad bought Dean and me an apartment in Boston to live in whilst we're at college" Allie handed Connie the photos.

"Wow its nicer than Bombay's pad" Connie felt a pang of jealousy. The blond girl seemed to have everything and here she was scrimping and saving to afford tuition at the University of Minnesota.

"Thanks" Allie replied accepting the photos back from Connie before placing them on the floor and out of the way.

"So prom dresses!" Julie changed the subject.

"I was thinking mine could be white, Julie's purple, your's green, Hayley's yellow. You know like the Ducks colors" Connie spoke up.

"Great idea" Allie agreed.

"Maybe we could see if they sell Ducks ties. We should try that hockey shop" Hayley suggested.

"You mean Hans' old skate shop?" Connie asked.

"Yeah that's it, doesn't his brother Jan run it now?" Linda had heard from Charlie that Jan had returned from home country to run the shop.

"Yeah, it'll be great to see him again" Julie was thinking aloud.

"Where's the prom being held Hayley?" Linda asked.

"The Minnesota Club Ballroom sounds fitting doesn't it?" Hayley was paranoid about the finer details of the prom. She was determined to organise the best Senior prom Eden Hall had ever seen.

"Sounds great" Linda assured her.

The others agreed.

"Well it was the place the Rick Riley and his idiots left us with the dinner bill Freshman year" Connie spoke up.

"Except for Scooter and Banksie" Julie pointed out.

"Except for Scooter and Banksie" Connie affirmed forgetting for half a second that her boyfriend had been on Varsity for a brief period of time.

"Let's get cracking" Hayley declared picking up a magazine.

* * *

"You've done a great job it looks so classy" Julie gushed as her and Fulton entered the Club with Hayley and her date Goldberg. 

"Thanks" Hayley replied tugging on the skirt of her dress. She'd gotten a gold coloured strapless dress since she'd decided yellow wasn't exactly her colour. Her argument with Connie was that it matched her date's name.

"This suit is itchy!" Charlie complained clawing at his neck.

Linda rolled her eyes. Much to her relief the girls allocated her with black and it wasn't hard for her to find a dress.

"Charlie its just for one night" Linda told him when she saw him attempting to take off his Ducks tie.

Charlie promptly stopped fidgeting when he saw she was serious.

Connie and Allie entered the room. Connie was in white and Allie was in emerald green. The diamond earrings Dean had given her hung from her ears. Their boyfriends were next to them with protective arms wrapped around them.

"This is going to be the best prom ever!" Connie decided.

"I'll say" Russ whispered to a grinning Ken. They had a plan.

Luis walked in with Jessica Bryant, the girl who'd used Goldberg for one night then moved on.

Goldberg didn't care though. Hayley was a way more fun date.

The Ducks all congregated in a large group each taking turns to dance with the girls.

They were warned, however, not to drink the punch.

"KEN!" Connie screeched really not expecting Ken Wu to do something like that.

"SSHH!" the rest of the group hissed. They didn't want to get kicked out just yet.

"If I could have your attention please" Dean Buckley was standing up on the stage.

"It is time to announce the prom King and Queen"

The crowd cheered and majority of the girls were anxious to know whether they'd won the title of prom queen.

"And this years prom King and Queen are………………….

Adam Banks and Allie Taylor"

Adam looked stunned and Allie wasn't even listening.

"Babe you're the Queen" Portman whispered in her ear.

"Huh?" shock sunk in.

She looked up to see Adam holding his hand out to her.

"Oh" she realised and accepted his hand and together they walked up to the stage.

None of them saw the death glares Connie was sending Allie. No one except Hayley and Linda.

"What's up Connie's ass?" Hayley whispered.

"Beats me but she sure does look pissed" Linda whispered back.

"She seriously can't be jealous of Allie. Wasn't she the one who got Connie and Adam together in the first place?" Hayley asked.

"I think so, maybe she just wanted to be prom queen really badly" Linda reasoned.

Connie's face grew even harder when a slow song came on and Adam and Allie had to dance together.

Portman on the other hand took it as a great opportunity to take a bathroom break.

"Hey handsome" a girl called to Portman as opened the bathroom door.

Portman didn't even respond as he shut the door behind him and went straight for the john.

* * *

"Thanks for the dance King Adam" Allie laughed when the song had ended. 

"Anytime Queen Allie" Adam joked back.

He made his way over to Connie to be greeted with a frosty reception.

"What's wrong Cons?" Adam asked.

"Could you have gotten any closer to her" Connie hissed.

"What?" Adam was confused.

"Just forget it" Connie snapped and stormed off to the bathroom leaving Adam staring after her.

"What was that about?" Fulton asked Julie.

"I have no idea, but I'm going to go find out" Julie said following Connie to the bathroom.

"Cons are you in here?" Julie called out.

"What?" Connie spat back.

"Hey what's wrong? You seem angry" Julie tried the calm approach.

"Oh so now you're my best friend?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Julie was confused.

"Now that Allie's busied herself with my boyfriend and now your date you want to know me"

"What? Connie open the door" Julie pleaded.

"NO! Go back to your new best friend"

"Connie what's brought all of this on? I thought you were friends with Allie?"

"I'm not friends with that _brat_"

"Brat? Allie's the least brattiest person I know" Julie could see where this was headed.

"So you're saying I'm a brat then?" Connie was being irrational.

"No I just don't get it that's all, do you want to go outside and talk to me?" Julie asked.

The door opened and a crying Connie came out and nodded.

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling its me that Connie pissed off at?" Allie asked Linda. 

"Don't worry about her. You haven't done anything wrong" Linda wasn't going to let Connie's jealous antics ruin the senior prom for the rest of the group.

"I know it just feels weird knowing that someone's blaming you for their unhappy time. Hey you'd think I'd be used to it by now" Allie joked to cover her uncomfortableness.

"Hey you owe me a dance" Fulton interjected.

"And I guess you owe me one" Portman told Linda.

Both girls laughed and followed the bashes out to the dancefloor.

* * *

"This hat sucks" Hayley complained as she tried to shove her graduation cap on her head. 

"Sweetie I don't think the ponytail helps" Allie took the hat from her friend and pulled her ponytail out.

"But now it makes my hair go in my face" Hayley complained.

"Sit!" Allie ordered grabbing a hairbrush.

She put Hayley's hair in a half up, half down style and put the cap on her head.

"There" Allie had solved Hayley's dilemma.

"Thanks, oooh I feel like a professor or something" Hayley was now admiring herself in the mirror.

"God help us" Linda walked through the door with Charlie in tow.

It was graduation day for the Seniors at Eden Hall and by now the graduating class would be putting on their gowns and hats in preparation for the ceremony to take place this afternoon.

"Do I have the right room? I was expecting Allie and Hayley but I see there's a room full of hot chicks in robes" Scooter popped his head through the door only to be greeted with Charlie's hat hitting him in the cheek.

"Charlie man sorry I didn't see you there!" Scooter laughed throwing the hat back.

"Scoot!" Hayley and Allie screamed rushing forward to give him a big hug.

"My dream come true" Scooter laughed hugging the girls back.

"Don't let Julie hear you say that" Linda told him.

"Let Julie hear who say what?" Julie appeared at the door not realising that her boyfriend was in the room.

"Nothing, just me telling you how hot you look" Scooter revealed himself and smiled at Julie's reaction.

"Oh my god you came!" Julie threw her arms around her boyfriend.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world babe" Scooter kissed her forehead.

"Guys we have to go" Adam appeared at the door with a very uncomfortable looking Connie at his side.

"Okay" Linda ushered everyone out of the room giving Allie a sympathetic look. Connie still refused to talk to Allie and she hadn't apologised to anyone for her behaviour at the prom.

"Why does Connie hate you?" Scooter had left Julie for a second and had come to ask Allie the question.

"I have no idea" Allie replied truthfully.

"Hmmm well don't worry about it. You wont have to see her again after tomorrow" Scooter reasoned.

"Comforting Scoot" Allie smacked him on the arm playfully. She saw the glare Connie gave her but chose to ignore it for the time being.

Scooter broke away from the group as they headed towards the students section. He found Mr Taylor in the guests area and they sat together both beaming with pride.

"Can we have the hockey team in these seats over here" the co-ordinator instructed.

"Allie where the hell's Portman and Fulton?" Charlie hissed.

Allie shrugged "I dunno"

"Funny she always knows where EVERYONE is" Connie sniggered.

"I can hit her if you want me to" Hayley appeared at Allie's side.

"Nah forget it. Its not worth it" Allie shot Connie an _I don't give a shit what you think about me_ look.

"Sorry we're late" Portman and Fulton appeared.

"Hey you look hot!" Portman told his girlfriend as he kissed her hello.

"So do you" Allie told him pretending not to hear Connie's bitching that they should 'get a room'.

The school had stuck to the traditional Eden Hall colours for graduation. The girls had red robes and the boys had black.

"I'll see you after" Portman gave Allie another kiss and went to sit with the hockey team.

Allie, Hayley and Linda all sat together.

* * *

"Your speech was amazing!" Allie told Julie when they'd all gotten their diplomas and done the hat throwing thing. 

"I can't thank you enough for your help" Julie hugged Allie.

"We're even, you helped me study remember?" Allie told Julie.

"Allie I'm so proud of you!" Mr Taylor appeared behind the girls with Scooter in tow.

"Daddy!" Allie hugged her father.

"Julie I'm proud of you too. Your speech was divine" Mr Taylor told his daughter's friend.

"Thanks David" Julie blushed.

"DAVEY!" Hayley had spotted Mr Taylor and was now running over to the group.

"Hayley, I never thought I'd live to see the day you graduated" Mr Taylor joked giving the brunette a hug.

"Gee thanks Dave" Hayley rolled her eyes.

"You two sure did give me more than one scare in your time" Mr Taylor, Allie and Hayley all burst out laughing.

"BABE! I got a medal did you see?" Portman ran up to Allie excitedly.

"Sure did, congratulations babe" Allie stepped into his arms looking at the Eden Hall hockey medal Dean was showing her.

"Dean" Mrs Portman stepped into the group.

"Mom" Portman replied cautiously. He knew that if his mother attacked Allie then David Taylor would bite back.

"Congratulations Dean, my boy has graduated" Mrs Portman gushed holding her arms out to Portman.

Portman let go of Allie to give his mother a hug.

"Allie!" Sarah ran up to the blond girl in red and hugged her.

"Hey Sarah, did you see the medal your brother got?" Allie showed her the medal that was in her hands.

"Cool" Sarah looked it before giving her brother a hug.

"Kate Portman" Kate stuck her hand out to Mr Taylor.

"David Taylor, Allie's father" David shook her hand.

"Oh of course. We're all so proud of the both of them graduating" Kate was laying it on thick.

Allie, Dean, Scooter, Hayley, Julie and even Sarah all raised an eyebrow.

"Yes it's a proud day. Of course I'm a little sad to see my girl's all grown up" Mr Taylor continued the conversation.

"And what a fine young woman she's grown up to be" Kate replied.

Allie almost choked when she heard that, as did Dean.

"Guys we're gonna take a trip down to the lake tomorrow as a last time together before college, you up for it?" Charlie extended the invitation to Scooter, Hayley and Allie.

"Sure thing Captain" Hayley agreed. The others nodded.

"Ooh Connie's gonna looove this" Hayley whispered to Allie who slapped her arm playfully.

The teenagers was led away from the parents not before some more sickly sweet words about Allie from Kate and even a congratulatory hug.

"Has the world gone fucking mad?" Allie asked Portman as they got into his truck.


	33. Tragedy Strikes

"This is the last of it" Allie told Portman as she carried the last box down to his truck.

"Finally, I was packed half an hour ago" Portman whined.

"And you'd better hope they don't see the holes in the walls" Allie laughed as she shoved the last box in the back of the truck before climbing in the passenger seat.

"It feels weird doesn't it?" Portman paused taking one last look at Eden Hall.

"I know, this time next year we'll be coming home from our first year at college for the summer" Allie was also looking around at the grounds of Eden Hall.

"We've had fun haven't we?" Portman turned to look at his girlfriend.

"Are you getting all sentimental on me?" Allie leant across and kissed his lips.

As she pulled away Portman caught her head and pulled her in for a deeper, more intense kiss.

"I love you, you know that right?" Portman said when he'd finally let her go.

"I know, I love you too" Allie told him.

She held his hand, as he started up the truck, ready to leave Eden Hall behind them forever.

"What time's this camp out thingy Charlie wants us to go to?" Allie asked.

"They're getting there about three. I say we get there a bit later. I'm really not in the mood to listen to Connie's shit" Portman replied.

"Oh so you noticed. I didn't want to say anything cos she's your teammate" Allie looked guilty.

"Yeah and I'm not happy with her. She's acting like a stuck up bitch and she thinks she can get away with it" Portman exploded.

"Maybe some time away from her at college will calm her down" Allie reasoned not wanting her boyfriend to get so angry over something really stupid.

"Calm her down? What about me, I'm fucking LIVID that she's doing this to you" Portman continued.

"Honey I honestly don't care anymore. I'm going to Boston with you and Fulton and that's all that matters" Allie smiled at him.

Portman couldn't resist it.

"Yeah okay" he smiled back.

* * *

"Why did we have to invite her for?" Connie complained angrily shoving a sweater into her backpack.

"Because she's Dean's girlfriend. No Allie, no Dean" Adam told her.

He was sick to death of hearing her constant whining about how she hates Allie. No one had any idea where this sudden turn around had come from and he highly doubted Connie even knew why she suddenly didn't like her.

"Well don't expect me to be nice to her" Connie pouted.

"We weren't" Goldberg said dryly.

"Does Portman know how to get to the lake?" Charlie asked Fulton.

"Yeah he's been there before" Fulton replied.

"You're taking Hayley up?" he asked Fulton.

"Yeah" Fulton replied ignoring Connie's exasperated sigh.

_Now she's got a problem with Hayley_ Fulton thought angrily.

"Cool I'll see you guys up there, I'm gonna go get Linda and head straight up" Charlie stood up and made his exit.

"Yeah I'm gonna get going too. Goldberg do you need a lift?" Fulton asked Goldberg.

"Yeah man thanks" Goldberg gratefully accepted his offer.

_Lucky bastards_ Adam thought bitterly as he put on a fake smile for his girlfriend.

_Only a few more weeks of this and we're off to college and Connie will forget all about Allie Taylor_.

* * *

"I got you something" Portman grinned at his girlfriend.

"I got you something too" Allie grinned back at him.

"You first" Portman requested.

"Okay, close your eyes" Allie waited for him to oblige before she reached into her handbag and pulled out a small blue box. She placed it in his hand.

"Okay open your eyes"

Portman opened his eyes and looked down at the box. Opening it he pulled out a titanium band.

"Graduation present, do you like it?" Allie asked.

"Baby I love it" Portman slipped the ring onto his ring finger on his right hand and kissed her.

"Okay baby, your turn to close your eyes" Portman asked.

Allie closed her eyes and smiled.

Portman knelt on one knee in front of her as he fished around in his pocket for what he was looking for.

"Give me your hand" he ordered.

Allie held out her right hand and Portman slipped a ring of gold and aquamarine on her finger.

She opened her eyes and looked at the stunning piece of jewellery.

"Honey you shouldn't have. Especially after those diamond earrings" Allie told him.

"Yes I should have. It's a promise ring. I promise to love you forever" Portman kissed her hand.

* * *

"Hayley seriously, how much stuff do you need?" Fulton laughed when he pulled up to Hayley's house to find her with three suitcases.

"These are just the essentials Fulton, you know like clothes, shoes, spare underwear, hairdryer"

"And where are you gonna plug the hairdryer in? we're gong CAMPING" Fulton laughed.

"Its battery powered so ner!" Hayley exclaimed triumphantly.

Fulton just shook his head.

"Allie called and said her and Portman would be late" she suddenly changed the subject.

"Any particular reason why?" Fulton asked.

"Apparently Portman's going to decapitate Connie on sight so Allie's gonna calm him down first" Hayley replied.

"Good point, I thought I was gonna strangle her at Banksies house earlier. Maybe we should put off going up there til later too" Fulton suggested.

"Sounds good to me, what did you want to do instead?" Hayley asked.

"Early Dinner?" Fulton suggested looking at his watch.

"Lets go" Hayley ducked inside to grab the keys to her jeep since Fulton's vehicle was already full.

* * *

"Come on we really should get going" Allie told Portman.

"I don't want to yet" he whined.

They were laying on the grass by the Taylor's outdoor pool soaking up last rays of the afternoon sun. Bash was stretched out next to Allie with his front paws across her shins.

"Don't you want to catch up with the team before you're all separated?" Allie asked.

"Oh alright" Portman was now convinced.

"Come on Bash" Allie tried to get the dog to get up only to be greeted with a grumble.

"You two are so alike its not funny" Allie laughed.

"Yeah but I'm better looking" Portman reached out and scratched the dog behind his ears.

* * *

"Are you sure they're even coming?" Charlie asked Julie.

"Yeah they said they were" Julie replied.

"I hope they're not" Connie sulked.

"Connie would you just give it a fucking rest!" Charlie had finally cracked.

"Oh so she's gotten to you too now has she? Who on the team HASN'T she had?" Connie snitched.

The entire team turned to face Connie and they were not happy.

"Connie I suggest you either shut the fuck up or get out of my sight right now" Charlie warned.

"Or what Charlie? Are you afraid Linda might start believing me?" Connie sneered.

"I'd never believe you Connie" Linda piped up.

"Seriously Connie what the hell is your problem?" Dwayne spoke up.

"My problem is her, she's always hanging off of someone else's boyfriend or stealing other people's best friends away from them" Connie replied as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

"So you're jealous of her then?" Averman went into no-mans land.

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Connie screeched before standing up and storming off.

The effect was ruined by the enormous brown mud stain on the butt of her jeans.

Adam rolled his eyes "Subtle guys, real subtle" before reluctantly going off after Connie.

* * *

"Oh shit we're REALLY late now" Fulton glanced at his watch surprised to see it was now 6.35 pm.

They'd just pulled up at Hayley's house after a really long dinner and a video arcade session.

"Okay I'll just dump my keys off and we're outta here" Hayley told him.

* * *

"Babe can you change the CD this one sucks" Portman asked.

"Yeah I agree, what do you want to listen to?" Allie asked.

"Um how about that Korn live one we bought last week?" Portman decided.

Allie opened the CD wallet that was on her lap and started fishing through the CDs.

A flashing sensation caused her to look up.

She was horrified to see a car speeding towards them on the wrong side of the road.

"DEAN LOOK OUT!" Allie screamed.

Dean swerved to his left to avoid the car but unfortunately the front tyres hit dirt causing the car to spin out of control. They felt a jarring sensation as the back end of the truck hit something.

The truck spun around again coming to a rest with Portman's side smashed up against a tree.

Both teenagers were unconscious.

* * *

"I'm starting to get worried. Both of their phones are just ringing out" Julie told Charlie.

"Fulton said they were planning on being a little late. To avoid Miss Sunshine over there" Charlie said sarcastically referring to Connie.

"Four hours late?" Julie asked.

"Maybe I don't know" Charlie replied. Some of Julie's insecurity was rubbing off on him.

He doubted Allie would let Portman miss the last team get together because of Connie.

* * *

"Great! Another accident" Fulton slowed the truck down to keep in flow with the current traffic.

Hayley stared out the window. Accidents always fascinated her. She always wondered how they happened, who it happened to and what happened afterwards.

She caught a glimpse of the vehicle involved.

Black pick up truck. Camping equipment stashed in the tray.

_Oh no_

Hayley's blood ran cold.

"FULTON STOP!" she screamed.

"What is it?" Fulton pulled over.

"That's Portman's truck" Hayley whispered. Her face was almost as pale as Fulton's.

"What?" Fulton killed the ignition and raced out of the truck.

"ALLIE!" Hayley screamed as they ran towards the wreckage.

"I'm sorry you cannot enter" a police officer told them.

"They're our friends!" Fulton tried.

"I'm sorry they're working on them now"

"What do you mean 'working on them'? Are they okay?" Hayley asked through tears.

"I believe they've been hurt pretty badly but they are both alive. You can wait here until the ambulances leave for the hospital or you can go on ahead and meet them there"

"We'll wait here, I have to know if she's okay" Hayley whispered.

"We'll wait here" Fulton told the officer.

"Hayley?" Fulton turned towards the silent brunette.

Hayley didn't respond.

"Hayls?" he tried again.

Fulton took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Allie's tough, she'll come out fine. Portman's tough too. You'll see. It'll be all okay" Fulton hoped his words were true.

Hayley's shoulders shook as she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Fulton spun her around and enveloped her in a big comforting hug.

After she'd regained control Fulton grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket.

"I'd better call Charlie" he said.

* * *

"Do you think they've all ditched us and gone on a double date somewhere?" Goldberg asked.

"Fulton and Hayley aren't together remember?" Julie pointed out.

"So? They could have gone somewhere together" Goldberg argued.

_We are the Champions_ cut across the air.

"Oops that's my phone" Charlie admitted picking it up to answer.

"Fulton where are you?" Charlie's face was smiling.

Suddenly the smile dropped and his face turned a deathly shade of white.

"Holy shit, you're kidding, are they okay?"

The rest of the Ducks were listening anxious to know what has happened.

"Nah man we'll definitely be there. We're going now"

"Okay bye"

Charlie dropped the phone and sank to his knees.

"Charlie what is it?" Linda asked knowing it was really bad.

"Portman and Allie. They've been in a bad accident. They might not make it"

* * *

"Hayley! What's going on? Is she alright?" Mr Taylor sprinted up the hallway of the hospital heading towards his daughter's best friend.

"I don't know they wont tell us anything" Hayley cried clutching on to Mr Taylor.

Fulton sat in the corner not speaking to anyone.

"Doctor!" Mr Taylor caught the attention of a surgeon coming into the waiting room.

The doctor turned around to face Mr Taylor .

"I'm David Taylor, I believe they've brought in my daughter Allie"

The surgeon led him away from the waiting area.

"She's in recovery but we're not sure when she'll wake up. I'm sorry Mr Taylor your daughter has suffered a nasty blow to the head and some internal bleeding. We've managed to stablise the bleeding but it's the head trauma we're most concerned about"

"and Dean Portman? How is he?"

"I'm afraid Mr Portman took the brunt of the impact. He's got a lot of broken bones, more internal bleeding and some head trauma. He's in bad shape at the moment. We're trying everything we can to save him"

"Oh dear" Mr Taylor gasped.

"Mr Taylor? I'm Officer Stanley. I am investigating the MVA your daughter was involved in" a police officer interrupted.

"How did this happen?" Mr Taylor decided he wanted to know.

"Witnesses say a speeding car on the wrong side of the road caused Mr Portman to swerve to avoid hitting it"

"Have they got the driver?"

"I'm afraid not but they're looking for the driver. And when we get them believe me sir we're going to ensure justice is served" the officer looked at the grief-stricken David Taylor sympathetically.

"Thank you" Mr Taylor shook the policeman's hand

"Can I see my daughter?" Mr Taylor asked.

"Family only" the doctor advised looking at the hopeful Hayley and Fulton.

"I'll tell her you guys are here" Mr Taylor promised the teenagers.

* * *

"Where are they?" Charlie and the Ducks burst through the emergency room doors.

Fulton let Hayley do the explaining. He wanted to be left alone.

"Allie's in ICU on life support and Dean's in surgery" Hayley said through bloodshot eyes and tears.

"How bad is it?" Charlie asked.

"Very bad, the truck was like……" Hayley burst into tears.

"Shhh you don't have to say it" Linda stepped forward and gave her a hug.

"Allie and Dean are fighters, they'll get through this" Linda whispered to her.

Julie felt like her heart had been torn out.

_How could this have happened?_ She wondered.

Scooter was deathly silent.

"Scooter?" she placed a hand on his forearm.

She tried to mask her hurt when he jerked hisarm away.

"Don't feed me some bullshit about how strong she is. It doesn't change the fact that she's in there with a machine breathing for her" he stormed out of the waiting room.

Connie opened her mouth to say something.

"Don't Connie, no one needs one of your bitchy comments right now" Adam cut her off.

"I wasn't.. I just" Connie thought better of it and closed her mouth again. The guilt was eating her up. Only a few hours ago she was openly bitching about the girl who was now on life support and may never wake up.

"How bad is Portman?" Charlie asked.

"He's worse than Allie" Hayley told him.

Charlie hung his head.

"I'm gonna go find Scooter" Hayley broke free of Linda's embrace.

Julie went to follow.

"Jules it might be best if I went alone. Don't take it personally, he gets like this when he's upset. He was the same when his father died and Allie's like the sister he never had" Hayley explained.

Julie nodded and sat down next to Fulton.

Fulton remained silent deeply lost in his own thoughts.

His Bash Brother and the girl he was in love with are both clinging to their lives. If they died he had no idea how he could go on without them.

Mr Taylor emerged from the door leading to the ICU with tears running down his face.

"David how is she?" Julie asked softly fearing the worst.

"I've never seen her look like that. Its just so…..so…..wrong you know?" Mr Taylor explained.

"Is she…..?" Julie couldn't bring herself to ask the question.

"No she's alive, just. Oh god my only daughter" Mr Taylor sunk down onto a chair and wept openly causing everyone in the room to tear up.

Hayley and Scooter had returned to the waiting room to see Mr Taylor in agony.

"Oh my god" Hayley's hand flew over her mouth and Scooter looked ready to kill someone.

"She's alive" Ken gently whispered to them.

"Is there a Fulton Reed here?" a nurse addressed the waiting room.

Fulton's head snapped up

"That's me" he said in a small voice that sounded foreign to his own.

"Mr Portman's asking to see you"

Everyone's mouths dropped open in hope.

Portman's awake and talking? 

"Coming" Fulton jumped up.

* * *

"Dude!" Portman's voice was barely above a whisper.

He looked a sorry sight. He had tubes running every which way. His body was broken and bruised and he had nasty cuts on his cheeks and hands.

"Don't scare me like that ever again" Fulton entered the room.

Portman didn't smile back.

Fulton immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Port what is it man?" Fulton asked in a soft voice.

"Dude I'm gonna die, I can feel it" his voice was growing hoarser and hoarser.

"Don't say that man. We need you. Allie needs you" Fulton pleaded. He hated hearing his best friend talk like that.

"She's gonna need you after I'm gone man. Promise me you'll look after her" Portman was fading out.

"I promise man but you're gonna get better right? I mean you have to" Fulton was starting to panic.

"I'm going bro. I love you man. You're my brother dude. Best buds. The Ducks are my family. Tell them I love them all, even Connie"

Fulton nodded knowing that the end was growing closer.

"Tell Allie I love her and I always will"

"I'll tell her dude" Fulton was realising that it was gonna happen now.

"Bash Brothers til the end man"

And with that Dean Portman died with his hand curled into a fist against his fellow Bash Brother's hand.

* * *

**A/N **sorry I had to kill him to have the story make sense. By no means is this the end of the story. I'll have the next chapter up soon. 


	34. After Life

**_a/n - this would have been up last week but my computer wouldn't let me upload the chapter. Thanks to Andie Lu for reviewing the last chap._**

* * *

Fulton sat with his deceased friend for the longest time. He'd already said goodbye but he couldn't bring himself to leave. It wasn't until the nurses gently informed him that it was time Portman's body was moved that he realised what had just happened.

_Portman's gone_.

He dreaded having to go out into that waiting room to tell everyone that their friend and team mate had died. What he dreaded even more was telling Allie when she woke up.

_If she woke up_

Fulton shook his head to attempt to snap out of it.

"She's gonna wake up damn it" he told himself forcefully.

What he didn't expect though when he pushed through the doors to the waiting room was Kate Portman rushing towards him with tears streaming down her face.

"How is he? How's my boy?"

Fulton couldn't meet her eyes. Instead he dropped his head to his chest and shook it softly.

"NO!" Kate Portman gasped.

He heard Julie cry out from somewhere to his left but he couldn't look at her. He couldn't look at anyone.

He had to get out of there.

* * *

Orion arrived just as Fulton stormed out.

He took one look at the grief stricken faces of his team and knew immediately that someone had passed on.

"I'm sorry guys" Orion said suddenly feeling like the world had ended.

There they were, the Ducks. His favourite team in the whole world. They'd just graduated and they were now leaving him to pursue other dreams.

And of course now one had fallen and would never return to the flock.

He turned to see Julie about to lose it. He stepped towards the crying girl and held his arms out to her, offering a small degree of comfort.

Julie accepted the hug Orion was offering and the kind gesture was enough to send her into an uncontrollable bout of sobbing. She was fearful she would never stop.

"He's gone" she wailed causing several other Ducks to lose their battles with holding back the tears.

A tear slid down Charlie's cheek as Hayley and Scooter returned to the waiting room.

"Oh my god" Hayley realised what was happening.

Scooter sucked in a sharp breath. He had to be strong for Julie now.

"Jules?" he stepped towards his girlfriend who was still buried in Orion's arms.

"He's dead" Julie whispered letting go of Orion only to collapse in Scooter's arms.

"Baby I'm so sorry" Scooter didn't know what to say.

It has been the worst day any of them had ever experienced. In the space of five minutes their friends had gone from one of the cutest couples in the history of Eden Hall to a single Allie on life support.

"Charlie where are you going?" Linda asked her boyfriend softly as he made a move to leave the room.

"I'd better find Fulton" Charlie explained.

"Okay, I'll be here. I'll call you if anything happens" Linda offered giving Charlie's hand a squeeze.

"Thanks" Charlie said softly before leaving the flock.

* * *

"Hayley, I'm going back in. Do you want to come?" Mr Taylor asked his daughters best friend.

Hayley didn't have to respond. She stood up quickly and wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't need to be asked twice.

"I'll tell her you guys say hi" Hayley smiled weakly knowing that Allie wouldn't be awake but in her comatose state she might be able to hear it.

"Thanks" Adam spoke for the group in Charlie's absence.

"I have to warn you Hayley its not a pretty sight. She's been banged up pretty badly and the tubes are really intrusive. I seriously thought it wasn't her when I first saw it" Mr Taylor warned.

Hayley nodded ignoring the twisting sensation she was experiencing in her stomach as her fear grew more intense.

The last time she'd seen Allie had been the previous night when they'd blown off the celebratory graduation dinner at Mickeys and headed back to Hayley's for a girl's night. Allie had been so happy. The way she talked about Dean and her excitement at moving to Boston with him and attending college.

And looking at her now, she could see how Mr Taylor would think it was a different person lying in the bed eerily still with tubes and wires running everywhere.

Hayley dared to look up at Allie's face and was startled by the amount of cuts and bruises.

"The windscreen shattered on them" Mr Taylor explained telling her what the police had told him.

"Oh" Hayley said softly taking a seat next to the bed.

She reached out and took one of Allie's hands in her own.

"She's so cold"

* * *

Charlie had a very good idea where Fulton would be. The alley where he practiced his slap shot. It was the place he went when he was angry at the world. Charlie had found him there when he was mad about Portman not attending Eden Hall, he'd found him there when he'd caught Hayley cheating on him and now he found him there after his best friend had left him.

"Hey" Charlie said softly approaching the large boy.

"Hey" Fulton replied half heartedly as he lined up another puck and shot it into a trash can.

"Still one out of five?" Charlie asked.

"Yep" Fulton replied taking another swing at another puck.

"I'm sorry man" Charlie said dropping his head to his chest. This was harder than he anticipated.

"What are you sorry for? It ain't your fault he's dead" Fulton grunted.

"I know but I'm still sorry all the same" Charlie replied still looking at his shoes.

"He said he loved you guys, even Connie. Damn its just like him to make a joke before he goes and fucking dies on us" Fulton let loose.

"He knew huh?" Charlie realised.

"Yeah, he knew" Fulton affirmed.

The pair sat in silence for a while.

"I never thought it would happen, I never thought that I'd live to see the day one of the Ducks would leave the flock permanently" Charlie cut in.

"I know, I was honestly under the impression we'd live forever" Fulton agreed.

"Me too"

More silence ensued.

"She needs you Fulton"

"Who?"

"Allie and I think you need her"

"What if she dies too?"

"She wont, she can't"

"How can you be sure Charlie?"

"I just know"

"You'd better be right"

"Come on lets get back" Charlie suggested.

Fulton obliged, putting his stick and pucks back in their hiding places.

"You're in love with her aren't you?" Charlie turned to look at Fulton.

"Yeah" Fulton admitted softly.

"You're the one she's gonna want to be there for her" Charlie patted Fulton on the back.

Fulton understood what Charlie was getting at. Charlie was telling him to be careful and not let her grief and her need to be near him get mistaken for her wanting to be with him.

"I know" Fulton replied.

* * *

Hayley emerged from the ICU a few hours later not at all surprised to find the entire flock of Ducks still in the waiting room.

"Any news?" Scooter asked hopefully.

Hayley shook her head.

Scooter's head dropped and Hayley's heart broke for him.

"Dave says you can go in if you want" Hayley told him softly.

"Can I?" he turned to ask Julie who nodded.

"Of course you can" Julie told him.

"Scoot" Hayley stopped him before he entered the ICU.

"She's in a bad way isn't she?" Scooter asked.

Hayley nodded feeling the tears spill over.

"She doesn't even look like Allie Taylor anymore" Hayley cried.

Scooter pulled his friend into a hug.

"She'll wake up, she's too damn stubborn not to" Scooter soothed.

Hayley believed every word of it.

Scooter let her go and entered the ICU.

* * *

"Fulton you're back" Julie looked up to see Fulton and Charlie entering the waiting room.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Scooters in with her now. She's still in a coma. I'm sorry" Julie hated being the bearer of bad news.

"Where's Hayley?" Fulton asked.

"Coffee run with Luis, he practically forced her into the car. She's a mess" Julie admitted.

Their conversation was interrupted by Mr Taylor bursting through the doors.

"She's breathing on her own now" he blurted out to a relieved looking group of Ducks.

"That's fantastic!" Julie cried out.

"Is she awake?" Ken asked.

"Sadly no but the doctors are optimistic. They say the fact that she's breathing for herself is a very good sign" Mr Taylor was looking happier than the Ducks had seen him for a few hours.

"I'll say" Adam spoke up.

Connie remained silent. She didn't want to upset anyone further.

"I've arranged with the nurses that you all have special clearance to see her in ICU if you wish. They've requested that you keep the noise to a minimum and no more than two of you in at a time" Mr Taylor told the Ducks.

"Thank you" Julie smiled. She was wondering if she'd ever get to visit her friend.

"Fulton? Do you want to come in now?" Mr Taylor had seen the look on Fulton's face when he'd told the group that Allie had started breathing again.

Fulton nodded.

Several Ducks patted him on the back in a comforting manner as he passed them.

"I'm gonna call Hayley and Luis" Linda offered once Fulton had disappeared. Linda had a feeling Hayley would want to know the good news.

* * *

Hayley and Luis were waiting in line at Starbucks. They'd decided that the hospital coffee was probably terrible and any small perk to make the group feel better about what had happened in the last 24 hours was worth it.

"Come on Hayls it might make you feel a little better" Luis was offering to order her a triple shot espresso to calm her nerves.

"Shouldn't I be the one looking out for you?" Hayley told Luis.

"We can both look out for each other. I know Portman was your friend too" Luis told her.

Hayley's eyes teared up "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I always thought everyone saw me as Allie's friend" she confessed.

"I know for a fact that they regard you as a friend" Luis told her reaching out to wipe a tear away.

"Thanks Luis" Hayley said feeling slightly better.

Luis smiled and turned around to give the server his order.

It's the eye of the Tiger it's the thrill of the fight 

"Oops that's me" Hayley realised her phone was ringing.

Luis tried not to laugh. It was definitely not a ringtone he'd pictured Hayley to have.

"Hello?"

Luis continued to make the enormous order for the Ducks and Mr Taylor back at the hospital.

"ARE YOU KIDDING? OH MY GOD!" Hayley screamed.

"Sorry, yeah we're just getting it now"

"Nope we're at Starbucks"

"Well I thought it would be pretty horrible. Okay see you back there. Bye"

Luis was confused as to why Hayley was now smiling.

"She's breathing on her own" Hayley declared triumphantly.

"That's great" Luis was relieved for that small piece of information.

The pair latched on to each other and hugged in the middle of the line while the rest of the customers and staff stared at them in disbelief.

"Here's your order sir" the server produced two large boxes filled with their beverages.

"Thanks" Luis paid the bill and ushered Hayley back out to the car.

* * *

"Oh Fulton, I'm glad you're here. I didn't want to leave her alone. You know in case she wakes up" Scooter rose from his chair to greet the remaining Bash Brother.

"How is she?" Fulton asked softly not being able to bring himself to look at the figure on the bed.

"She looks so much better now they've taken that tube out of her throat" Scooter admitted.

Fulton nodded "I heard she was in a pretty bad way"

"Yeah she was but we both know Allie. She'll be wide awake and demanding us to break her out of here before we know it" Scooter said wondering where his newfound optimism had come from.

"I hope its you she yells at first" Fulton said truthfully.

"How do we tell her about Portman" Scooter was all of a sudden sullen.

Fulton's face dropped "I hadn't thought about that"

"Do you want me to tell her?" Scooter asked praying he'd say no.

"I think I'd better tell her, there were some things he wanted me to tell her" Fulton was overcome by sadness and grief once again.

"I'm sorry that he's gone" Scooter said softly

"Me too" Fulton replied finally took a seat next to Allie's bed.

"I'm gonna go see how Julie is. Do you want me to get you anything?" Scooter asked.

"Nah I'm good" Fulton replied watching the older boy leave the room.

He turned back towards the girl in the bed and he gently placed her small hand inside his large one.

"God there's so many things I want to say to you" Fulton whispered bringing his head down to rest on the bed next to her hand, his lips resting on her fingers.

**

* * *

**

"How's she doing?" Julie's head snapped up when she saw Scooter coming back to the waiting room.

"She's good, still hasn't woken up yet. I thought I'd give Fulton some time with her since she's the closest thing to Dean he's got left" Scooter said tiredly sitting down next to his girlfriend.

"Oh Kate Portman came by a little while ago to tell us that his funeral is going to be held next Saturday" Julie informed Scooter.

"I'll be there" Scooter assured.

A good proportion of the Ducks had gone home to get some rest. They had been at the hospital close to 19 hours now.

* * *

Fulton sat staring at the unconscious Allie trying to will her to wake up.

"Please Allie, wake up I need you" he whispered placing his hand over hers.

He felt the tears stinging his eyes, the long awaited tears of mourning for his friend and the tears of sorrow for the one he was in love with.

Fulton felt a squeezing sensation on his hand.

"What?" he exclaimed looking down at his hand on top of Allie's.

He stared in disbelief when he saw her fingers had moved and were now gripping his tightly.

"Allie?" Fulton leant over to see if she was waking up.

There was no response.

He reached for the call button and pressed it with his free hand.

"What is it?" a nurse came rushing in.

"She's moving, look" Fulton gestured towards his hand.

"Has she shown any other signs of stirring?" the nurse grabbed a penlight and opened each of Allie's eyes checking for any signs.

"No just this death grip" Fulton told her.

"It might be a reaction to her brain activity, like she's dreaming or something. I'll get one of the doctors to come and check it out" the nurse looked at Fulton sympathetically. She'd seen it all too often when family members got excited when their loved ones moved. A lot of the time though, it didn't mean a thing.

"Okay, thanks" Fulton sat back down feeling half defeated.

* * *

"We brought in some fresh clothes for you guys, those ones must be kinda smelly by now" Adam joked holding out a bag for each of Scooter, Julie, Hayley and Charlie, the only ones that had not left the hospital aside from the odd food and coffee run.

"Thanks, these better not be preppy clothes" Charlie warned.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised" Connie grinned. She was trying desperately to make up for her appalling behaviour of late.

"Hey this is mine!" Charlie exclaimed pulling out his favourite Pantera t-shirt.

"I know, your mom gave it to us" Adam rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the use of your clothes Connie" Hayley accepted the bag politely.

"It's the least I can do" Connie replied.

Hayley fought all urge to bite back with _you got that right_. Instead she just smiled and went to the nurse's station to ask about a shower.

"Oh I almost forgot, these are for Allie, they're from everyone" Adam held out a bunch of Tigerlillies.

"She'll love these" Scooter told him also walking over to the nurse's station to ask for a vase and some water.

"Any news yet?" Adam asked.

"Fulton said she moved her hand but other than that nothing" Julie told them.

"Its gotta be a good sign right?" Adam asked thinking that he'd perhaps call his mother and ask her since she was a doctor.

"I hope so" Julie replied.

* * *

Fulton was still in the dark room with his head resting on the bed next to Allie's arm. At some stage during the night he'd fallen asleep not wanting to leave her side after she'd moved.

For the first time in 30 hours Allie's eyelids fluttered open.

She immediately shut them again taking the time to adjust before opening her eyes again.

She looked around the room trying to get her bearings. Machines, tubes, itchy blanket, she ascertained that she was in a hospital bed.

But why? 

Then it all came back to her, Dean, the truck, the camp out, changing CD's and the speeding car on the wrong side of the road.

"DEAN!" she cried out.

Fulton jolted awake.

"Allie!" Fulton had never been so happy to see those green eyes in all his life.

"Fulton?" her voice was hoarse.

"I'm here, let me call for a nurse" Fulton reached for the buzzer.

"Fulton, where's Dean?"

"Um"

"FULTON!"

Fulton took the time to think about his words carefully.

"Allie" he began.

Before he could finish the sentence the nurses burst in. Checking all of her vitals they were satisfied she was okay and left her alone with Fulton.

By this stage she was practically livid.

"Fulton you'd better tell me where he is right now"

"Allie" Fulton said again sitting down on the bed.

"No" Allie told him as she read the look on his face.

"Allie"

"NO!" she pushed his hand away and turned her head.

"I'm sorry" Fulton said softly moving from the bed. She obviously didn't want to be touched right then.

Allie didn't respond. She lay still staring at the wall.

_No way in fucking hell can he be dead_ she thought to herself angrily.

_Because if he's dead then I want to be dead too_.

* * *

Allie was moved to a ward within a few days and was kept in for a maximum of a week for observation. During that time she hardly spoke to anyone.

"Its so hard seeing her like that" Hayley confided in Fulton one morning after another visit.

"I know, its like she's gone too"

"It must be hard to deal with the fact the one person you truly loved had passed on, especially when she didn't get to say goodbye" Hayley mused.

"I know, I hope they get that asshole that did this to them" Fulton's blood was boiling the way it did every time he thought about the speeding driver who'd caused Dean to swerve in the first place

"She's getting out tomorrow, maybe some fresh air might do her good" Hayley reasoned making a mental note to stop by Allie's house and make her room all welcomy.

"The day before the funeral" Fulton reminded Hayley.

"Yeah I guess" Hayley agreed.

* * *

"If you could sign this form Miss Taylor, you'll be a free woman" the nurse tried her best at being cheerful.

_I don't want to be a free woman, I want to be a happy woman with Dean by my side_ Allie thought bitterly as she took the pen and signed her name on the discharge form.

"Come on Allie I'll take you to the car" Mr Taylor told his daughter.

It broke his heart to see her so sad but he understood she was grieving.

Allie mindlessly followed her father out of the hospital that had been her home for the last week and out to the car.

"How's your head feeling?" David asked.

"Okay" Allie replied softly.

"Do you need to take some of the pain medication?"

"No its fine"

"Okay then"

The rest of the car trip was in silence.

When they arrived at the house Allie wordlessly slipped out of the car and called for Bash before immediately retreating up to her room.

She was surprised to find Hayley and Fulton sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

Looking around she saw that the two had arranged vases of fresh flowers around her room and a small shrine to Dean by the window including photos, his leather jacket from her closet and his Team USA jersey.

Feeling truly touched at how much her friends really cared she burst into tears.

Fulton immediately rose and rushed forward to grab her in a hug, Hayley following suit and Bash, sensing that something was wrong, sat by Allie's feet and leant on her legs.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" Julie asked softly.

"No" Allie replied talking more about her reluctance to go to Dean's funeral rather than her physical appearance.

"You'll regret it if you don't go" Julie advised placing a gentle hand on her arm.

"I know" Allie took a deep breath and made her way down to the cars that were taking the Ducks and Dean's closest friends to the funeral.

Allie sat next to Fulton who immediately put a protective arm around her.

He knew what was coming and it wasn't going to be pretty.


	35. Goodbye to You

The car pulled up to the cemetery, a small chapel set off to one side.

Allie sucked in a breath. She wasn't sure if she could go through with this.

"It seems so final" she said to Fulton.

"I know" he replied sadly opening the car door.

Allie climbed out of the car keeping her eyes low. She really didn't want to see the sympathetic looks people were giving her.

She stayed close to Fulton. Being close to him made her feel close to Dean.

"That must be her, check out the cuts on her face" she heard someone snigger.

She felt Fulton immediately tense up.

"Don't" she told him placing a hand on his arm.

"I thought Kate said she was ugly" she heard the second woman comment.

"Yeah, that mustn't be her then, she's cute in a banged up way" the first one said

"Unbelievable" Charlie stood directly in front of Allie so that the women couldn't see her anymore.

"Speak of the devil" Fulton muttered catching sight of Kate Portman in all of her black-clad grieving mother glory.

"Oh Fulton I'm so glad you came" she gushed moving towards him with her arms outstretched.

Fulton stood his ground.

"As if I'd miss it" he said sourly cringing as she gave him a hug.

Then she caught sight of Allie.

"And I see _you_ couldn't keep away. Hoping to snare one of my rich friends now that my son is dead?" Kate sniggered.

"You know I'm just going to ignore every nasty thing you say about me and smile and pretend like everything's okay between us for today, since it is all about saying goodbye to Dean and not about you" Allie said calmly before pushing past Charlie and walking away.

"She should have stayed in the coma" Kate muttered before turning her attention back to her 'rich friends'.

"If that were me, I'd have slapped the stupid smirk off of her face. Can you believe that woman!" Linda spat.

"Allie's right though, today's not the day for starting fights" Charlie reminded her.

"I know" Linda agreed.

* * *

Allie made her way past the crowd of mourners or more so past the crowd of pretend mourners who were only there to try and get their pictures printed in the newspapers since Dean's death had made quite a few headlines.

"You were with him when it happened weren't you?" a gentle voice spoke behind her.

Allie whipped around to come face to face with the priest.

"Yes" she nodded.

"You didn't get to say goodbye" he commented.

"No"

"Come with me child" he held out his hand.

Allie looked around cautiously for Kate Portman before accepting his hand.

"Dean is being taken care of now" he spoke as they walked.

"I know" Allie replied feeling herself choking up. It just wasn't fair.

They stopped at a door.

"He is in there, go and say your goodbyes properly Miss Taylor" the priest smiled.

Allie turned towards him "How did you know?" she asked.

"I am a man of God, and I don't believe gossip" he smiled warmly.

"Thank you father" Allie smiled back at him before opening the door.

* * *

"Where's Allie?" Fulton asked concerned.

"I don't know" Hayley realised that Allie hadn't been seen since Kate's attempt at starting a fight.

"Y'all maybe she's taking a breather" Dwayne reasoned.

"Cowboy's right, maybe we should give her some alone time" Julie suggested looking pointedly at Fulton. She too had worked out how Fulton felt about Allie.

"Yeah" Fulton said softly shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Dude she'll be fine" Charlie whispered.

"I hope you're right" Fulton replied.

* * *

Allie cautiously walked over to the open casket.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to see Dean all stiff and rigid.

_What if he looks 'different'?_ she wondered.

_Get a grip Allie its your last chance to say goodbye_ she scolded herself.

She took a deep breath and peered into the casket.

Dean was lying there looking peaceful, almost as if he were sleeping.

"Hey baby" she whispered working up the nerve to touch him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to say goodbye to you" she continued feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well I guess I'm here now" she sniffed wiping the tears away before they fell on Dean's new suit.

"God how I wish you were here too"

"I love you Dean and I'll never, ever forget you" she choked out before the tears starting flowing freely.

She kissed her fingertips and gently placed them on his cold stiff lips.

"Goodbye Dean" she whispered before walking out of the room.

* * *

"Hey there she is" Goldberg spotted Allie emerging from the chapel.

"Hey guys" she approached the group throwing on the biggest smile she could muster which wasn't very big.

"Are you okay?" Fulton asked.

Allie nodded "Yeah I just said goodbye" she told him.

"This whole spectacle should be over soon" Charlie said softly looking over at the bunch of people who didn't even know Dean Portman.

"Good I can't believe Kate Portman alerted the media to this. Its her son's funeral for crying out loud" Linda was miffed.

"Come on, its time to start" Coach Orion appeared in the group and informed his former team that they were to enter the chapel.

Allie was relieved that the Ducks were thoughtful enough to push her to the centre of the big group so that no one could see her through the hockey players.

The group split and Allie found herself sitting in between Scooter and Fulton with Linda and Charlie sitting behind her and Connie and Adam in front of her. She nearly burst out laughing when Kate Portman was obviously searching the chapel for her and Adam took the chance to ridiculously stretch his arms over his head thus providing cover for Allie's position.

She heard Julie gasp from the other side of Scooter and turned to see what she was looking at.

She could feel the tears welling up again when she saw that Portman's coffin had been brought out. Thankfully they had enough taste to close the casket shielding Dean from the leeches with the cameras.

She found herself staring intently at the coffin not even noticing that her hand had brushed up Fulton's leg searching for his hand.

The rest of the service was a blur and she was shaken out of her thoughts when it was time to move the coffin to the gravesite where Dean was going to be laid to rest.

Kate had hired some muscle to carry the coffin out refusing to let the Ducks do it.

_Just another reason to make us hate her_ Allie thought bitterly.

This wasn't what Dean would have wanted. He would have wanted his friends to plan his funeral, he would have wanted metal blaring through the speakers rather than country and western and most importantly he would have wanted Fulton to speak about him and not some distant relative that obviously had no idea what Dean was about.

"Come on" Fulton ushered still holding her hand.

She mindlessly followed the crowd of people lost in some daydream that Dean was still alive and they were living happily ever after.

Arriving at the gravesite was one of the most depressing things she'd ever seen. A massive open hole that the organisers had tried to dress up with flowers and candles.

In her opinion, a grave is still a grave.

A large photo of Dean held on a stand grabbed her attention. It was his school photo from Eden Hall taken for the senior yearbook.

She hadn't even noticed that they'd started to lower the casket into the ground.

"Allie" Julie nudged her and handed her a white rose.

"Don't you dare try to honor my son. You killed him! You killed him just like you killed his father!" Kate Portman screeched from the other side of the grave.

Allie stared hard at her before stepping forward and dropping the rose into the hole.

Charlie then stepped up next to her and unfolded a white Ducks jersey.

"We'll miss you buddy" was all Charlie could think of to say.

The rest of the Ducks joined Charlie and Allie at the edge of the hole.

"Goodbye our Bash Brother" they all said in unison before throwing their own roses into the hole.

"Get out all of you, you've ruined Dean's funeral!" Kate screamed at the group.

"I think you'll find _you've _ruined it" Allie told her.

Something in Kate snapped. She tore around the grave screaming like a banshee with her hands outstretched.

She didn't even reach Allie before security stepped in and Kate was hauled away by three large security officers.

Her grand plan to invite the media to paint Allie as the bad person backfired as the photographers happy-snapped Kate Portman being led away in handcuffs.

"I need to get out of here" Allie told Fulton who nodded and led her down to where the cars were waiting.

"Guys" Adam interjected tapping Fulton on the shoulder.

Allie was surprised to see that Connie was with him.

"We're thinking about having a little get-together at my house tonight, to remember Dean properly" Adam asked cautiously.

"He would have liked that, especially after today's spectacle" Allie replied giving Adam a small hug.

She turned to Connie unsure what to say or do.

"I'm so sorry Allie, about everything" Connie blurted out.

"It's okay" Allie replied giving the girl a hug.

"I'm gonna head home for a while, catch up on stuff what time at yours Adam?" Allie asked.

"Five?"

"Sounds great, Fult are you coming?" Allie asked as she climbed into the car.

"Yeah I'll see you guys later" Fulton ignored the warning looks Charlie and Julie were giving him.

* * *

"Fult I need to tell you something" Allie suddenly said when they'd arrived back at the house.

"You can tell me anything" Fulton assured.

"You can't tell anyone about this though, not yet" she warned.

"I promise"

"Okay, um, well I got a call from the hospital yesterday asking could I come in and I did"

"Are you alright?" Fulton feared the worst.

"I don't know, they took some blood after the accident and they mustn't have tested it until the other day but they called me in and"

"And what?" Fulton guided.

"I'm pregnant" Allie whispered.

"Whoah!" Fulton exclaimed.

He was not expecting that.

* * *

"I vote we all get drunk and go crazy. Portman would be so proud!" Averman held up his beer.

"Averman you're already drunk" Connie laughed.

"Am not!"

"Yes Aves you are"

"Awesome!"

"What's awesome?" Fulton and Allie had just arrived to find the Ducks in Adam's basement with three cases of beer and an enormous box full of party food.

"Averman's drunk" Adam told them.

"I bet Portman wishes he were here to see this" Allie smiled for the first time in days.

Fulton had talked her around and had convinced her that this baby was a good thing. It was Portman's last gift to her.

"I told you guys he'd be proud" Averman declared triumphantly.

Unfortunately the effect was ruined when he topped off of his chair backwards causing the entire group to burst out laughing.

"Beer Allie?" Charlie held a bottle out to her.

"Nah I'm good" Allie declined.

Charlie saw the look Allie and Fulton had just exchanged.

"Okay then" he said handing the bottle to Goldberg.

* * *

"Oh my god do you remember the time we first met him, I thought he was going to kill me!" Averman screeched taking another swig of beer.

"He put me on top of the goal" Ken was getting toasted too.

"He was nice to me" Connie said.

"And me" Julie piped up.

"That's cos you were girls!" Charlie laughed.

"Don't you know that everything's on FIRE!" Averman started singing.

The group started laughing.

"ARGH the stripper stunt at Eden, that was hilarious!" Averman's Tourette's was playing up again.

Allie had to smile, she didn't think it was funny at the time but after getting to know Portman really well she could see the humour in it.

She suddenly needed some fresh air.

She slipped away from the group and headed outside.

_I'm with everyone and yet not  
Got to get away from here  
I miss the one that I love a lot  
I miss the one that I love a lot. _

_BUSH, Swallowed_


	36. Last time together

Julie was surprised to find Allie at Fulton's the next morning. Her surprise grew further when she learned that Allie had actually spent the night there. She'd previously warned Fulton as his friend to be careful and she was now worried, she didn't want to see either of them get hurt.

"You disappeared early last night" Julie commented to Allie as she sat playing with a piece of toast.

"Yeah wasn't in the mood" Allie replied not looking up.

"How are you?" Julie asked softly. She was taking note that Allie wasn't actually eating anything.

"Fine I guess" Allie replied.

"You wanna tallk?" Julie offered.

Allie didn't answer.

"Can you keep a secret?" Allie finally spoke.

"Of course I can" Julie responded wondering briefly if something had happened between Allie and Fulton the previous night.

"I'm pregnant and Kate Portman is going to have a fit when she finds out" Allie told her.

"Wow" Julie breathed.

"I know" Allie countered.

"How far are you?" Julie asked curious.

"Six weeks, you know I hadn't even noticed anything was up. I just put it all down to stress from graduating and Kate and everything else in between" Allie explained.

It was all still new and confusing for her.

"Have you told your dad?" Julie asked.

"Nope. What do you say to your father, I don't think "hey dad, guess what I'm 18 and pregnant to my dead boyfriend" is going to cut it" Allie pushed her plate away.

"Does Fulton know?" Julie asked.

"Yeah"

"Oh"

"What does 'oh' mean?" Allie asked suspiciously.

"Nothing"

"Whatever, I'm going home, tell Fulton I said see ya" Allie stood up and put her plate in the Reed's sink before gathering her stuff and leaving.

Julie was still sitting at the table staring open mouthed at the door when Fulton entered the room in a pair of old shorts and a t-shirt, his hair was still wet from the shower.

"Hey Jules, where's Allie?" Fulton asked realising that Julie was the only one in the kitchen.

"She went home, she said to say see ya though" Julie told him.

"Is she okay?" Fulton sat down.

"You knew she was pregnant and you didn't say anything?" Julie glared at him, her blue eyes accusing.

"Not my place to say Jules, besides she only told me last night" Fulton argued.

"Did Dean know?" Julie asked carefully.

"No Allie didn't find out herself until the day before yesterday" Fulton replied sadly.

"So its his" Julie blurted out without thinking. She immediately regretted it.

"Of course its his Julie who's else would it be? And before you say another damn word, it's not mine. It never will be mine" Fulton exploded.

"Fult, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it came out"

"Oh I think you did Julie, you know for someone who calls herself a friend you have an odd way of showing it" Fulton was getting madder by the second.

"Fult I.."

"I know what you're going to say and you know what I am being careful. Is it so wrong for me to want to be near Allie who is carrying the only piece of Portman I have left?" Fulton yelled before it become too much and he stormed out of the house in the same manner as Allie had earlier.

And once more Julie was staring at the door with her mouth wide open.

_How the hell did I just manage to offend two of my best friends?_ She wondered.

* * *

"Hey here you are!" Hayley grinned when she saw Allie enter her bedroom.

"I hope you're not gonna start on me about spending too much time with Fulton too" Allie snapped.

"Whoah, wait a second! Why would I give you a hard time about _that_?" Hayley looked up at her best friend all confused.

"Sorry, I think I just had a fight with Julie. She was looking at me all weird like when she saw me at Fulton's this morning" Allie apologised as she sat down on the floor of Hayley's bedroom.

"Bah, who cares, you two obviously need each other right now" Hayley flopped down on the floor beside her friend.

"Thanks Hayls" Allie accepted the huge her friend offered her.

"So how you doin?" Hayley put on her 'fake psychiatrists' voice the girls adopted whenever one of them had a situation that needed some 'therapy'.

"Well not so good doctor" Allie smiled a little as she played along.

"Lets see what we can do about that! Now what seems to be the problem?" Hayley continued as she pretended to write on a notepad.

"My boyfriend has just died and guess what! I'm having his baby" Allie used the tactic of just blurting out whatever the problem was whenever they needed to talk about something.

"Are you serious?" Hayley stopped pretending and stared at her friend.

"Deadly serious, no pun intended" Allie replied stony faced.

"Is this a 'yay I'm gonna have a cute little Portman baby' or a 'what the fuck am I supposed to do with a kid?' kind of situation" Hayley asked wondering what kind of advice she'll have to give.

"It was the 'holy shit I'm pregnant' one but Fulton's made me see that this is a good thing" Allie confessed.

"Fulton?" Hayley asked momentarily forgetting what Fulton had to do with anything.

"Yeah I told him last night" Allie said wondering if she was about to have the same argument with Hayley and she'd had with Julie.

"What did he say?" Hayley asked wanting to know what advice Fulton would give a girl.

"He told me it was like a last gift from Dean and that I should see it as a positive rather than a negative" Allie sighed with relief. She should have known that Hayley wasn't about to judge her for spending so much time with her dead boyfriend's best friend. There was a reason Hayley was Allie's best friend after all.

"Fulton Reed actually said that. I'm impressed!" Hayley grinned.

"Don't you dare give him hell about it" Allie warned.

"Who me?" Hayley put on her best 'I'm innocent' face.

"Yes you!" Allie laughed.

"Yes I got a laugh, you're cured!" Hayley cried dramatically.

"Thanks Doc" Allie replied.

"So do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Hayley changed the subject.

"I dunno, as long as its healthy and happy I don't care" Allie had decided she was going to keep the baby.

"My advice, keep it as far away from Kate Portman as possible" Hayley warned with an evil smile.

"I was planning on it. I'm still going to Boston" Allie announced.

"Are you sure? I mean you'll be all by yourself" Hayley wondered whether she could switch colleges and help look after her friend.

"Yeah I'll be fine plus Fulton's moving in too remember?" Allie replied.

"Okay as long as you're sure" Hayley knew that once her friend had made up her mind there was little she could do to change it.

"I'm sure, I'm going to Boston, finishing my degree and I'm gonna raise my baby all in one" Allie replied hoping it would as drama free as it sounded.

"Good for you" Hayley gave her friend a supportive hug.

* * *

"You haven't told her have you?" Fulton nudged Allie as they tried to keep a low profile at Starbucks. Kate Portman was at the head of the line making a big deal about ordering a decaf non-fat soy latte.

Allie shook her head. It wasn't like it was a big deal, they hadn't even told the rest of the Ducks yet.

"What's the point of having coffee if you're gonna take the caffeine, milk and sugar out of it?" Fulton asked changing the subject. He knew there was no way in the world Allie was going to tell Kate Portman she was pregnant with her deceased son's child.

"Dunno but could you imagine her high on caffeine? She's neurotic enough as it is" Allie whispered.

"And are you sure you should be drinking so much coffee?" Fulton eyed the enormous cup Allie was cradling.

"Its chocolate not coffee" Allie told him taking another sip.

She suddenly put her cup down and clutched her stomach "Ugh, morning sickness my ass, its like 2 in the afternoon" she groaned before heading towards the bathroom.

Fulton watched her disappear undetected by the evil that was Kate Portman.

He watched the wicked witch from Chicago pay for her drink and leave the building making sure everyone could see her get into her gold Lexus.

Fulton shook his head. She was something else that Kate Portman.

Allie returned to the table a few minutes later.

"Here I got you some water" Fulton pushed the bottled water across the table to her.

"Thanks Fult" Allie smiled before opening the bottle and taking a sip.

"Come on lets get out of here, I need to finish packing" Allie suggested.

They were heading out to Boston the next day.

"What else could you possibly bring, we've almost filled the U-Haul" Fulton laughed referring to the almost full U-Haul moving trailer that was now attached to his pick up.

"Yeah _almost_ being the key word there" Allie told him.

Fulton shook his head smiling.

The pair headed out to Allie's new car. A hideous boxy Mercedes that Allie's mother had sent to her as a 'graduation present'. Apparently everyone in New York was driving one.

"Is it okay if I call the Ducks and organise like a party or something for tonight?" Allie asked Fulton. She felt guilty for not seeing much of them over the summer and she wanted to see them before they all left for their new lives.

"Yeah of course, that would be awesome" Fulton brightened up a little.

"Cool so we should make it like a pool party or something at my house then? I guess I can break the big news to them there" Allie asked wondering how they were going to take it.

"Yeah for sure" Fulton agreed getting out his cell phone. He wasn't too worried about the Ducks' reaction.

Allie let him call the Ducks one by one as she drove them back to her house to prepare for the final Ducks party for a while.

* * *

"I vote Averman lays off the booze" Russ declared earning a cackle from Goldberg.

"Hey!" Averman woke up to what was being said.

"Averman" Connie warned.

"Fine I'll lay off the hard stuff but I can't promise anything about the sugar" Averman retorted making the group laugh.

"I'm gonna miss your corny jokes Aves" Goldberg told him.

"Hey no mushy stuff Goldie!" Averman pretended to be scared.

"I'm not mushy" Goldberg practically yelled.

"Its okay Goldie I'll miss your jokes too Averman" Allie spoke.

"Me too" Hayley took her cue and the two girls gave Goldberg a big hug.

"Hey I thought it was _me_ you were going to be missing" Averman complained wondering why he wasn't getting the female attention.

"Aw you big sook" Hayley grinned before pouncing on Averman.

"Allie are you okay?" Connie looked at the blond girl who suddenly looked like she was going to throw up.

"Um" Allie wasn't sure how to respond. She saw the worried glances Hayley, Julie and Fulton were giving each other but she couldn't worry about that. She turned on her heel and ran towards the nearest bathroom.

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked concerned.

"Um kinda, I'll let her tell you though" Fulton replied carefully.

"Why can't you tell us now?" Charlie protested.

"Charlie!" Linda warned "If Fulton wants Allie to tell us then Allie's gonna tell us okay?" she had the knack for making her boyfriend back down.

"Okay" Charlie pouted but didn't complain any more.

"Sorry guys I'm fine" Allie returned to the BBQ area.

"Are you sure? I mean you had us all worried there for a minute" Connie spoke.

Hayley couldn't help but smirk at Connie's newfound friendliness. A few weeks ago the girl was making life hell for Allie and Portman.

Allie took a deep breath and looked to Fulton for support.

_This was it_ she decided.

"I have to tell you guys something" Allie began wondering if she was going to be yelled at or what.

"Tell away" Goldberg encouraged her.

"Okay so I'm pregnant with Dean's baby" Allie blurted out.

Eleven shocked faces stared back at her and three knowing faces stared at the crowd.

"Wow" Adam was the first to speak.

"Another Portman" Averman was mainly talking to himself.

"Congratulations" Linda was happy.

"Wow the first baby Duck" Charlie was always thinking of the Ducks.

"Yeah baby quack" Goldberg added.

"Argh we can get little jerseys made for it" Connie was excited also.

"See nothing to worry about!" Fulton stood behind Allie and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze.

"And mini hockey sticks" the conversation kept going.

"Can you buy mini pucks?"

"Dunno"

"What about a little helmet?"

"What for? The baby won't be able to skate!"

"It might"

"Averman, no it won't"

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Connie and Linda had ditched the Ducks conversation and had now cornered Allie.

"Nah not yet. I don't even know what it is" Allie smiled.

The girls then rattled on about good baby names for both boys and girls. Until the boys started pointing out how dumb some of them sounded and it provoked a full-blown debate that lasted for what felt like hours, even days.

"I dunno about you guys but I'm starving!" Hayley cut the debate off mid-way though a sentence from Charlie about how the baby should incorporate all thirteen names of the Ducks.

_I am so not calling my baby Charlie-Adam-Ken-Dwayne-Lester-Russ-Guy-Fulton-Julie-Connie-Luis-Greg-Dean Linda-Hayley Taylor-Portman._ Allie thought wondering if they even made Birth Certificates big enough to fit that on.

"Yeah me too!" came the cries of several Ducks who realised the food had just been brought out for them.

"Thank God for Hayley" Fulton whispered making Allie smile.

"I'm gonna miss having her around when we move" Allie confessed suddenly feeling overcome by sadness.

_Stupid pregnancy hormones_ she thought.

"As weird as it sounds, I'm gonna miss her too" Fulton admitted. He still found it a little odd that he could be such great friends with Hayley after the nasty break up they'd endured early in their Sophomore year.

"Guys you'd better hurry or there'll be no food left" Hayley yelled over to Allie and Fulton.

"I'm so not gonna miss that voice though" Fulton laughed offering his hand to Allie.

"I will" Allie replied feeling the tears stinging at her eyes.

_Don't cry now dammit_ she scolded herself.

After food and more alcohol the group decided to play a half assed game of 'hockey' on the grass using tree branches from the firewood pile as hockey sticks and a plastic bottle as the puck.

Allie and Hayley sat on the sidelines watching the rest of the group play.

After the game the party eventually wound down leaving Allie, Fulton, Julie and Hayley as the remaining four.

"You'd better get some sleep if you're gonna be driving tomorrow" Julie warned Fulton.

"Yes mom" Fulton laughed.

Hayley and Allie just grinned.

"She's right, I don't want you all tired tomorrow" Allie told him.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow" Fulton gave Allie a quick hug.

"And as for you two, I'll see you next whenever we have a Ducks and Cheerleaders reunion" Fulton joked holding his arms out for Julie and Hayley to give him a hug.

Allie whipped her phone out of her pocket just in time to use its camera to snap Fulton being surprised by Hayley and Julie kissing his cheeks at the same time.

Her phone's memory was almost full as was the memory card in her digital camera. She'd have to upload the photos to her computer once she got settled in Boston.

After saying goodbye to Julie the two remaining girls headed up to Allie's room where they had one last 'sleepover'.

"I can't believe this is it" Hayley was almost in tears.

"It's not 'it', you can come sleep over at my place in Boston anytime you like" Allie told her friend.

"I know but it won't be the same, its like we're turning our backs on our childhood. It feels so damn weird" Hayley replied.

"I know" Allie understood what she meant.

"And this time next year you'll be a mom and have this gorgeous supermodel baby and I'd better be its favourite 'aunt'" Hayley was rambling.

"Hayley are you kidding? I want you to be its Godmother" Allie told her.

Hayley gasped in shock, "Really?" she squealed.

"Of course really" Allie told her and braced herself for what she knew was going to come next.

"Awesome!" Hayley screamed leaping up from her bed and practically jumping straight onto Allie's, crash tackling her into the mattress.

"Sorry!" Hayley realised that she probably shouldn't have done that.

"Its okay, I'm not made out of glass you know" Allie laughed.

"I know" Hayley replied with a cheesy grin.

"Night Allie" Hayley clambered back into her bed.

* * *

"Argh I'm gonna cry" Hayley said as she handed Allie the last of her stuff, including the giant polar bear "Gretzky" that Portman had given to her.

"Where the hell are you going to put that thing?" Goldberg's head popped around the side of the house.

"Yeah" the rest of the Ducks emerged carrying a big banner that read "Good Luck in Boston"

"Hey guys" Allie was strangely reminded of the time she was forced to leave Eden Hall and was surprised by the crowd that formed to send her off.

_At least I had Portman with me then_ she thought sadly remembering that it was also the first time he'd told her he loved her.

"We brought presents!" Averman announced as the Ducks bombarded Fulton and Allie with wrapped gifts.

"Goldie what the hell is this?" Allie asked as he handed her an unusual shaped object.

She unwrapped it to find a jar of pickles.

"I heard pregnant women love pickles" Goldberg replied innocently.

"And chocolate" Averman gave his present to her. Allie wasn't surprised to find it contained a motherload of chocolate.

"Thanks guys" Allie said giving them a hug.

The gifts flooded in.

Connie and Adam had bought a Baby Names book.

Ken, Luis and Dwayne had given her a tiny Ducks hockey jersey with Portman and the number 21 on the back.

Charlie, Guy and Russ had given her Mighty Ducks baby booties and a matching beanie.

But Julie, Hayley and Linda had given her the most special gift of all.

It was a gold locket with one side showing a picture of Portman smiling and the other side was blank with Hayley's handwritten words "INSERT BABY HERE"

"Guys this is beautiful" Allie cried letting the tears fall down as she hugged her friends.

Julie held Allie's hair up as Linda fastened it around her neck.

"GROUP HUG!" Goldberg yelled.

The group hugged one last time before Allie and Fulton had to get going.

Allie said goodbye to her father before getting into Fulton's truck.

"If you ever want to come home give me a call and I'll come get you in an instant" Mr Taylor hugged his only daughter.

"I will daddy" Allie told him giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Fulton started up the truck and Allie waved at their friends until they became a tiny speck in the distance.

They were finally on their way.


	37. Fresh Meat on Campus

"I think I'm gonna throw up" Fulton declared checking his reflection in the mirror for what seemed like the millionth time that morning.

"I thought I was the pregnant one" Allie was also nervous but was trying not to let it show for Fulton's sake.

"We could share the toilet bowl, you know Charlie and I once shared a rubbish bin" Fulton stopped when he saw Allie's face.

"Fulton, that's just gross" she told him wrinkling her nose.

"I know" Fulton hung his head in shame. He was the one who'd insisted on riding the coaster that day.

"Come on we're gonna be late for our first day of college" Allie told him picking up her backpack.

"Oh no, you are not carrying that" Fulton leapt around the kitchen table to grab the bag from her hands.

"Fulton, I'm not a freaking cripple" Allie glared at him.

"I know but its heavy and your back was hurting yesterday" Fulton gave his best 'innocent' smile.

"Fine" Allie gave up. She knew he meant well but it was really annoying sometimes having someone fuss over your every move.

Fulton grinned and made off with the backpack. Allie sighed and grabbed her handbag, following him out to the underground carpark.

* * *

The car ride to Harvard was fairly silent. Each one was too busy stressing about their first day as a college student.

Fulton was on the verge of crapping his daks. He knew that the place would be exactly like Eden Hall, only richer and snobbier. At least at Eden Hall he had the Ducks.

At Harvard he had no one.

Except for Allie but she was only attending as an internal student for the first semester then she was going to have the baby and do the course externally.

_If only Portman were here_ Fulton thought sadly as he pulled into the student car park. He was thankful they'd taken Allie's car rather than his beat up truck.

"_I just heard that Portman isn't coming"_

'_What?"_

"_Yeah found out that Bombay bailed and he bailed too"_

"_I can't believe this"_

"_OW! Jeez Fulton watch where you're hitting, that hurt" _

"_Sorry Goldberg"_

"_Great, if it wasn't bad enough now I have to worry about getting nailed off the ice. Why am I always getting shot at?" _

"_Goldberg you're a goalie, deal with it"_

"_Thanks Fulton, real sensitive" _

"_You're welcome"_

"Lets get going, we wouldn't' want to keep the preppy snobs waiting now would we?" Fulton hadn't realised he was saying Charlie's words out loud.

"What?" Allie turned to him.

"Huh? Oh sorry, just thinking about the Ducks" Fulton smiled sadly.

Allie reached across and rubbed his arm. She knew this was hard on him.

Fulton used his other hand to cover hers. He couldn't believe how close they'd become. They were like the platonic friends that got along so well that everyone thought they were a couple.

_Yeah Fulton note the word 'platonic'. You two aren't together and never will be_. He could hear the voice inside his head. Strangely, it sounded a lot like Julie's voice.

_I think I'm finally going insane_ Fulton decided as he manoeuvred the silver BMW into an empty space and killed the engine.

"Okay here we go" Allie was trying to be optimistic. Inside she was aching to tell Fulton to start the car back up and get them the hell out of there.

They saw a banner that read "Welcome Freshman – Registration is this Way"

Allie stayed close to Fulton as the crowd got thicker.

A group of guys who obviously weren't freshman were scanning the crowd and making judgements on anyone who passed them.

"Oh gee there's your typical cheerleader/jock combination" Allie heard one sneer as they walked past.

"Hey jock are you gonna try out for the hockey team?" Allie grinned turning to Fulton.

"I dunno" Fulton shrugged.

"Why not? You love hockey" Allie reminded him. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel like he had to be at her side 24/7 thereby missing out on his own life.

"I know but I'm not sure if I can play for a team who aren't the Ducks" Fulton admitted.

"I understand" Allie suddenly felt like the world's biggest loser. Of course he wouldn't want to play for a team that wasn't the Ducks!

"Come on lets get registered" Fulton changed the subject dragging Allie over to the tables that had been set up.

Some incredibly organised person had even split the lines up into alphabetical order.

A-G, H-N, O-T, U-Z

"Hey we're in the same line!" Allie dragged Fulton into the "O-T" line.

"Bonus!" Fulton rolled his eyes, earning him a thump to his arm.

"Sorry I didn't mean to hit you that hard" Allie was embarrassed when she saw him wince and rub his arm.

"Can't the big bad Bash Man hack a hit from a girl" a familiar voice cut in behind them.

They whipped around to come face to face with a grinning Ken Wu.

"Kenny!" they both yelled causing everyone around them to stare at them.

"Allie you're squishing me" Ken said in a gentle voice laughing at Allie who'd gripped him in a hug so hard he thought he was going to explode internally.

"Sorry" Allie let the 'little Bash Bro' go.

"What are you doing here man? I thought you were staying in San Fran?" Fulton asked ecstatic that he had at least one Duck here. He hoped Ken was staying anyway.

"I got into the second round offers. Apparently someone dropped out of the course I wanted and they offered it to me. Pretty sweet huh?" Ken was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Ken that's awesome" Allie told him.

"I know, Fult we have to try out for the hockey team" Ken suggested.

"I dunno man, I mean playing for someone other than the Ducks?" Fulton was a little sceptical but Allie could see he was seriously considering the idea now that Ken was attending Harvard.

"I thought about that then I thought I didn't want to be whipped by Banksie and Spazzway every time we caught up with them cos I hadn't been playing college puck" Ken's reasoning was more than enough for Fulton to reconsider.

"We'll go sign up when we get done here" Fulton decided.

"Awesome, I'll meet you guys over there" Ken pointed to a tree nearby. "I think I'm in the wrong line" he explained getting out of the line and joining the "U-Z" line.

"I can't believe the little bash man is here" Fulton turned back to Allie.

"Its unbelievable. He should move in with us if he doesn't already have anywhere to stay" Allie had been thinking ahead.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Fulton was a little disappointed that their 'alone' time would be cut.

"Yeah it'll be like that time in LA only less people" Allie assured him.

"Cool" Fulton replied.

"Name?" a bored looking girl asked Allie when she'd reached the front of the queue.

"Allie Taylor" Allie replied.

"Taylor, Taylor, Taylor. Oh here you are" the girl located Allie's name and placed a big tick next to it.

"Here's your information package, class schedule, map, etc. Any questions the student information centre will be able to tell you. Its on the map" the girl didn't even look at Allie as she handed over the plastic binder full of papers.

"Thanks" Allie replied stepping out of line to allow Fulton to check in.

"Name?" the girl asked without look up.

"Fulton Reed" Fulton replied.

The girl snapped her head up and gave him a look that was meant to say "what kind of name is that?"

"Its under "R" Fulton gave her one of his 'innocent' grins.

The girl shot him a dirty look before scanning her list.

"Yes _Fulton Reed_. Here's your stuff" she practically threw the binder at him.

Fulton looked at her as if she were insane, which both he and Allie had decided she probably was, and made their way over to the tree Ken had pointed out earlier.

"What was her problem?" Fulton asked adjusting his bandana.

"Beats me, must suck to be her I guess" Allie was taking in the crowd of freshmen students around her.

"No duh" Fulton was still annoyed at how rude the girl had acted.

Allie's cell phone started ringing. She grinned when she checked the caller ID.

"Hey skank, how's LA?" Allie laughed at something the caller had said.

Fulton guessed the person on the other end was Hayley, mostly judging by the tone of the extremely loud voice he could hear from where he stood.

"Already? Hayls you've only been there a week!" Allie was saying.

_Yep its Hayley_ Fulton had the confirmation.

"Not what you had in mind huh?" Allie was lost in the conversation.

"Hey Fult" Ken approached the pair keeping his voice low when realising Allie was on her cell.

"All okay?" Fulton asked fearing that there'd been a mistake and Kenny couldn't attend Harvard after all.

"Yeah better than great. I got a call on a dorm they have available" Ken told Fulton.

"Allie wants you to move in with us" Fulton told Ken.

"Really?" Ken asked wide-eyed. He'd always kept out of the Ducks' debate about the status of Allie and Fulton's friendship and he wasn't sure if he'd be intruding or not.

"Really, it'd be awesome" Fulton had decided it would be best if Ken did move in. it would avoid any 'awkward' moments between the pair, if there ever were any.

"Cool, I'll tell the dorm people I've found somewhere else. Are you sure its okay with Allie though?" Ken glanced at the blond who was laughing at something Hayley was saying.

"Yeah she suggested it just after you left us" Fulton told him.

"Yeah, love you too Hayls, bye" Allie hung up the phone and joined the two boys.

"Ken's gonna move in with us" Fulton told her.

"Excellent! Do you wanna bring your stuff by afterwards?" Allie asked.

"Okay" Ken replied glad Fulton hadn't just put her on the spot.

"Come on lets go sign you guys up for hockey" Allie suggested linking arms with each of the boys.

"So hows Hayley?" Fulton asked as they passed the cafeteria.

"Good, she's horrified at her first project. She has to design sleepwear for middle aged women" Allie laughed.

Hayley had been accepted into FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in Los Angeles and had been looking forward to designing some really cute stuff, especially some baby stuff for her future godchild.

"Oh heaven forbid, not the old lady pyjamas" Fulton hooted finding it hilarious. Hayley had driven him insane with details on what she wanted to design and what colours she'd use.

Allie and Ken laughed but all three of them turned silent when they approached the hockey sign up table which was being manned by three enormous guys wearing Harvard polo shirts.

"You guys wanna sign up for hockey?" the first one had a pleasant enough voice.

"Yeah" Fulton replied not being intimidated by the guys' size. He hoped they weren't freshman.

"Fill this out, we need your name, age, position, what team you last played on and any other relevant experience you can think of" the second guy sounded very businesslike.

Fulton and Ken each took a clipboard with a form on it and began filling out the details.

"The cheerleaders have having try outs if you were thinking about signing up" the first guy informed Allie.

"Thanks but I'm done with cheerleading" she told him.

"Really? No offence, but you look like you'd be really good at it" the guy replied.

"Hows that?" Allie was wondering how on earth she 'looked' like she'd be a good cheerleader.

"Your voice sounds really strong, you have good posture and you don't look like a weakling so you'd be able to withstand holding a 90 pound cheerleader up in the air" a female wearing a Harvard Cheerleading t-shirt approached the table.

"Exactly" the first guy agreed.

"Thanks but I'm really not interested" Allie was trying to be polite. She certainly wasn't about to tell them she couldn't because she was four months pregnant.

"All done" Fulton had been listening and didn't like the idea of some random guy hitting on his girl.

_She's not your girl idiot_ his little 'Julie' voice told him.

The guys took a look at the form.

"Wow, you're one of the Ducks? Awesome!" one gushed.

"Here" Ken had been oblivious to what had just been said as he handed over his form.

"Ken Wu! Fantastic! Two Ducks on the team would be incredible" the guys were practically wetting themselves with excitement.

"Um thanks but don't we have to try out first?" Ken was a little concerned.

"Yeah but you guys will make the team easy" one of them assured the pair.

"Tryouts are on Friday afternoon at four, the rink's over there. We look forward to seeing you there" the guys made gestures to shake Ken and Fulton's hands which the boys obliged.

"That was weird" Fulton whispered when the trio were safely out of earshot.

"I think Charlie picked the wrong school" Allie joked. She knew Charlie would be thrilled to learn that the Ducks were still famous.

"Was it just me or did they look like Banksie on steroids?" Ken hissed very seriously.

The mental image was way too funny for Allie and Fulton to contain and they both burst out laughing.

Ken must have had one too because he joined in soon after.

"Do you want to sign up for anything?" Fulton asked Allie when they'd calmed down.

"Nah I can't I'll be an external student next semester so it's not worth it" Allie replied checking her watch.

"Besides we have to go to our lecture rooms now" Allie glanced at her schedule.

"Meet back here at lunch?" Fulton suggested feeling slightly horrified that he now had to face college alone for the next two hours.

"Yeah" Ken and Allie agreed with their heads buried in their maps trying to locate their respective rooms.

"I can't find room 1134" Ken pointed out.

"Me neither" Allie replied realising what that meant.

"Are you doing psych?" Allie asked.

"Yeah why are you?" Ken asked.

"Yes!" Allie replied excitedly.

"Great so I'm stuck all by myself while you two get to be in the same class" Fulton complained.

"Aw poor Fulton" Allie teased.

"Damn right poor Fulton" Fulton replied.

"Oh wait there it is" Ken had located that 'missing' classroom on the map.

"Cool, I'll see you at lunch" Allie told Fulton as she reached up and gave him a good luck hug.

"Have fun" Fulton told them hugging Allie back.

"We will" Ken waved leading Allie towards a large building.

Fulton watched them leave feeling a little jealous that Ken got to spend more time with her then he did.

"Dude your girlfriend's hot!" a guy clapped a friendly hand on Fulton's shoulder looking in Allie's direction.

Fulton just glared at him before making his way towards his own lecture.

* * *

"Welcome to my classroom this is your 'Introductory to Psychology' component. I'm Professor Daniels and today we are going to be spending time getting to know one another"

Allie and Ken had seats in the middle of the classroom and the Professor had decided that he was going to split the room up into groups of about eight students who were going to tell each other a bit about themselves.

Allie and Ken weren't in the same group but it didn't really matter, they already knew each other anyway.

Allie was in a group with three girls, not including herself and four guys.

A guy named Trey went first and told everyone about how he was born and raised in Texas and how he really didn't want to take over his daddy's farm so he decided to try psychology instead.

Allie was strangely reminded of Dwayne.

Next went a girl called Jodie who had a really quiet voice. She explained she used to be a professional dancer who one day decided she wanted to find out why her instructors thought the way they did and what made them so determined to win at all costs. Allie got the feeling she'd been given a rough deal in the dancing world.

Then it was her turn.

Allie wasn't going to drop the pregnancy bombshell just yet so she told them about being originally from Laguna Beach and moving to Minnesota and then about being a cheerleader and making the move to New York where she learned she loved music. She also purposely left the part about the accident and nearly dying out.

She listened to the rest of the stories. There was a blond guy named Brody who had a really laid-back, sensible attitude and seemed heavily into sports, an outspoken African-American named LaTrina who wanted to understand the 'cheating male's doglike mind' that had the guys squirming a little.

Then was another girl named Lauren who seemed really nice and friendly and two more guys named Tim, who seemed to be a clone of Adam Banks minus the love for hockey and Justin who told everyone he was going to be the top student in the class.

"Okay and that's all we have time for, we'll see you bright and early for our first 'real' lesson tomorrow morning at 9" Professor Daniels interrupted.

"Allie right?" the girl named Lauren approached Allie.

"Yeah hi, um Lauren?" Allie replied.

"That's right. Um I know this will seem kinda random and stuff but I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me? You seemed kinda cool and I don't know anyone here" Lauren asked shyly.

"Sure, I'm having lunch with that guy over there and another friend who's doing law but you're more than welcome to join us" Allie smiled encouragingly hoping she'd agree. She needed a female friend.

"Okay, they won't mind?" Lauren asked self-consciously.

"Nah they'll love it" Allie assured her grabbing her bag and waving for Lauren to follow.

* * *

"I hate law!" Fulton flopped down on the grass where Allie, Ken and Lauren were seated.

"You're a law student?" Lauren blurted out feeling a little embarrassed. Allie tried not to laugh out loud.

"Yeah and it sucks" Fulton replied not realising he had no idea who this girl was.

"Lauren this is Fulton, Fulton this is Lauren, she's in our 'Introductory to Psychology' class" Allie introduced the pair.

"You guys aren't going to try and analyse me are you or do I need to be legal reinforcement?" Fulton asked pushing his bandana further down his head.

"You're real scary Fult" Allie rolled her eyes.

"Bombay scares you" Fulton pointed out.

"Yeah but you're not Bombay" Allie reminded him.

"Yet" Fulton teased.

Lauren was watching in fascination at the exchange. When Allie was explaining to her about Fulton Lauren had asked whether they were a couple and Allie had said that they were just friends.

But watching how they were with each other, Lauren couldn't help but wonder whether they secretly wanted to be more than friends. Even Ken was smirking.

"Watch it or I'll analyse you in your sleep" Allie had the last threat before Fulton backed down.

The rest of their lunch break went pretty smoothly. Ken was asking Lauren about her hobbies and Fulton was pretending he was listening whilst watching Allie.

He was glad she had made a new friend and it was heaven for him watching her being so 'normal' and happy.

He just hoped this wasn't a 'calm' before a storm.

* * *

**thanks for the review from Donna79 I'll update again soon.**


	38. Duck Reunion

The trio set into life at Harvard fairly smoothly. Allie and Lauren had become quite good friends and now Lauren was more excited about Allie's baby than Allie was.

They'd even gone to a few parties which ended up with Ken joining a fraternity. Both Allie and Fulton had been stunned when Ken arrived home with a Mohawk and an "Alpha Beta Gamma" sweatshirt on declaring he'd just finished pledging and was now a frat brother.

This in turn made Allie take a photo of Ken's ridiculous haircut and email it to Julie who had laughed for days.

Allie had set up a study area in the lounge room and was currently neck deep in books with Lauren sitting across from her when Fulton burst through the door.

"Guess what?" Fulton was excited.

"What?" Allie asked without looking up.

"I'm gonna be interning at Waterson Gill" Fulton frowned when the girls looked confused.

"Who?" Lauren asked.

"Waterson Gill, only the biggest firm in Boston" Fulton replied impatiently.

"But you're a first year?" Lauren was mainly thinking aloud.

"They're taking first years because their workload is too large" Fulton replied happily.

"That's great Fult" Allie finally put her pen down and stretched her legs.

"I know, its gonna be great" Fulton replied.

"When do you start?" Allie asked.

"Next semester and guess what else, they're gonna be paying me for it too!" Fulton had saved the best part for last.

"Excellent! We should go out and celebrate" Allie was genuinely happy for him and had just decided to pack in the studying for the night. She was starting to go cross-eyed.

"Sounds great" Fulton replied already thinking of places they could go.

* * *

"Guys I'm gonna head home" Allie told Fulton and Lauren.

The club they were at was starting to give her a headache.

"I'll come with you" Fulton immediately jumped up ready to go.

"No you stay here and celebrate, you can bring the car home later" Allie told him handing him her car keys.

"I'm not letting you walk home by yourself" Fulton's mind was made up. He was going wherever Allie was going.

"Fine" Allie replied tiredly. Since the baby bump had grown quite large she found all her energy being drained and she hated it. Plus she didn't want to admit that walking home sounded too hard to do at this point.

"Guys I might stay, there's quite a few hotties in here tonight" Lauren said mischievously as she subtly pointed out a tall blond guy at the bar to Allie.

"Go for it, and be careful" Allie told her friend giving her a small hug.

"See ya Lauren" Fulton said politely laying a protective arm around Allie as he prepared to lead her out of the packed club.

"Bye guys" Lauren waved with one eye still on the guy at the bar.

Allie still felt tired when they hit the cool night air and had managed to climb into the car. Fulton wasn't surprised to see that within the 20 minute car ride she'd fallen asleep.

With a slight grin on his face he pulled into their underground garage and parked the car. Deciding against waking her he fumbled with the keys as he leaned in and picked her up, carrying her all the way back to their apartment.

He tried not to lose himself in the scent of her perfume as she subconsciously leaned her head into his neck.

He hip and shouldered the front door open and kicked it shut behind them tossing the keys as he headed straight up the stairs with the sleeping girl in his arms. He gently laid her on her bed and pulled the covers around her.

"Goodnight princess" he said softly laying a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.

* * *

"And she's outta here!" Allie tried to do a little 'happy dance' across the lawn as her, Ken and Lauren finished their last lecture for the semester.

"Great we'll be stuck here in boring lectures whilst you get to be at home next semester" Ken complained running a hand through his Mohawk that was now half grown out.

"Yep it'll be me, the books, this enormous belly and daytime TV" Allie replied stroking her hand over her belly the way expectant mothers tended to do.

"But first we get to go back to Minnesota" Fulton had now joined the group and was looking forward to the Ducks reunion back in Minnesota. Even the out-of-state Ducks were coming back for a few days over the break.

"I can't wait to see all the Ducks again" Ken said happily.

"I bet they can't wait to see your new 'do" Allie laughed not bothering to mention that his photo has been circulating the Ducks email for the past month.

"Guys I have to go, I'm heading back to Virginia tonight" Lauren had noticed what the time was.

"Stay out of trouble and I'd better see you when you get back" Allie scolded giving her a sideways hug that was more accommodating to the pregnant belly.

"That goes for you too, no staying in Minnesota" Lauren replied.

"Have a good flight" it was Ken's turn for a hug which earned a few catcalls and whistles from his frat brothers who were crossing the courtyard at that particular moment.

"Cool I've made you a stud!" Lauren laughed lining Fulton up for a hug.

"You wish" Ken laughed sounding hideously like Luis.

"Okay I have to go, have a great break everyone" Lauren gave one final wave and she was off.

The trio were heading out to get something to eat when Allie's phone rang.

"Hello" she answered.

"No more FIDM for two weeks baby!" Hayley's cheerful voice came over the phone.

"Hayls!" Allie exclaimed feeling glad her best friend had called.

"How's the little one?" Hayley asked.

"Good but I think it has its daddy's temper" Allie joked feeling a little sad like she always does whenever Dean's mentioned.

"Are you sure its not mommy's temper?" Hayley teased.

"Probably" Allie laughed.

"Please tell me you're coming back to Minnesota, PLEASE! I'll die if I'm stuck there by myself" Hayley pleaded.

"Relax, we're all coming back to Minnesota" Allie told her.

"Kenny's coming too! Awesome! What about Goldie?" Hayley asked remembering her friend Goldberg.

"Well since his parents still live there I'd say yeah he could leave Philly for a few days" Allie laughed.

Hayley actually squealed at the news.

"Cool so I'm leaving in three days and you'd better be there, tell Fulton and Ken I say hi. Love ya bye" Hayley hung up.

Allie actually felt a little drained after that conversation with the whirlwind that was Hayley.

"Hayley says hi" Allie reported placing her cell back into her handbag.

The boys nodded acknowledging they'd received the message.

"I can't wait to see how everyone's changed" Ken admitted.

"Me too" Fulton and Allie said at the time making Ken laugh.

"You two are so alike now its scary" he chuckled.

"Shut up" Allie and Fulton said again in unison making all of them laugh.

"I rest my case" Ken had the last word and was rewarded by French fries landing in his hair.

* * *

"Allie!" Connie frantically waved when she caught sight of the very pregnant blond followed by a hulking dark Fulton and a very odd looking Ken coming through the crowd.

"Hey Connie" Allie sat her carry on down and accepted the hug Connie was giving her. She waited patiently whilst Connie finished hugging everyone in their little group.

"Charlie's trying to find a park and no one else has arrived yet" Connie informed the group looking a little sad which could mean one thing; Adam hadn't arrived yet.

"Well why don't we just get our bags and meet Charlie outside? Saves him from having to park" Allie suggested.

"Good idea, I'll give him a call" Connie whipped out her cell phone and gestured to the trio that she'd meet them back here.

"Are you okay?" Fulton asked Allie noticing she looked a little pale.

"Yeah just tired I guess. I might catch a nap before saying hi to everyone" Allie told him.

"You can sleep at my house if you want, its not as far away from Charlie's as your house is" Fulton suggested.

"Thanks" Allie agreed knowing he was right. Taking a nap at Fulton's would cut out a 45-minute car ride.

After a car trip with Charlie chatting excitedly about whether the baby was going to be a hockey player and Connie gushing about baby clothes Allie finally got her nap.

"Allie? Time to wake up" Fulton braced himself for the flying fist that would come his way.

Julie had offered to wake Allie after two hours but Fulton had decided it would be best if he did it. After all, he was used to the semi-conscious violence that came with it.

"Grrrmph" Allie replied burying her face further into the pillow. She loved her sleep even more now that she was carrying all that extra weight.

"Come on we have to go to Charlie's" Fulton gently shook her shoulder anticipating what would come next. He was surprised when her hands remained where they were.

"Do we have to?" Allie asked sleepily rolling over and rubbing her eyes.

"Yep otherwise they'd just come over here and pounce on you" Fulton had a point.

"Okay I'm up" Allie threw the blanket off of her and tried to stand up. Unfortunately swinging her legs over the side of the bed proved to be too hard and Fulton had to help her.

"This sucks, I can't do anything for myself anymore, _and _I'm starting to forget what my feet look like" Allie complained trying to see her feet from her standing position.

"Your feet look fine and here are your shoes" Fulton produced her flip flops that she'd taken a liking to wearing during her pregnancy mostly because she didn't have to bend down to tie any laces.

"Jackass" she grinned.

When they finally arrived at Charlie's half an hour later they weren't at all surprised to find the party in full swing.

"HEY!" Averman screeched when he spotted Allie and Fulton entering the apartment.

"Oh god has he been drinking again?" Fulton joked.

"Fulton, Allie how's the little one? Is it like you or Portman?" Averman asked pressing one ear to Allie's belly.

"Ow!" Averman exclaimed as Fulton slapped him upside the head.

"It's got its father's temper alright" Allie laughed not really taking much offence to Averman's question.

"Are you sure its not your temper?" a joking voice cut into the group.

"Linda!" Allie exclaimed giving her friend and old dorm-mate a hug.

"Wow your tummy's so big" Linda exclaimed looking at Allie in a 'may I?' expression.

Allie nodded her approval and Linda placed her hand on the bump.

"Did it just kick?" she looked up excitedly.

"Yeah, I think so" Allie said not sure whether it was indigestion or the baby.

"Hi, I'm Aunty Linda you have lost of aunties and uncles to meet when you come out of there" Linda started talking to Allie's belly.

"And I'm uncle Averman, or Les but I don't like being called Les and I'll teach you all about Star Wars and OUCH!" he was surprised by another slap to the head but this time it was from Julie.

"Let the rest of us in there" Julie said giving Allie a hug.

"I'm uncle Charlie and I'll teach you the triple deke" Charlie had snagged Averman's spot.

Allie looked across at Fulton who was shaking his head smiling. Who'd have thought that a pregnant belly would be such a novelty amongst the Ducks.

He silently asked her if she wanted a drink by making hand gestures as if he were holding a glass and taking a sip. Allie nodded gratefully, she was starting to feel hot.

"Fulton!" Jesse Hall greeted his old teammate when he entered the kitchen.

"Jess man long time no see" Fulton knocked fists with him and grabbed a beer for himself and a bottle of juice for Allie.

"Tell me about it, so hows Mr Harvard Man? I see none of the preppiness has rubbed off on ya" Jesse referred to Fulton's attire consisting of his trademark camo pants, black boots and a band shirt with the bandana tied around his forehead.

"As if it would Jess" Fulton grinned popping the top off his beer and flicking it in a random direction.

"Good to hear man, I'll catch up with you later dude" Jesse had eyed a chick in the corner and was off to make his move.

Fulton shook his head remembering the time when him and Portman used to do the same thing.

_Ah Portman may he rest in peace. _

He couldn't shake the incredibly guilty feeling that he was alive and kicking, living with Portman's girl and their unborn child while Portman was 'six feet under' so to speak.

_Dude if I could trade places I would_ Fulton thought sadly.

Remembering he was getting Allie a drink he made his way back to the lounge room where Allie was talking with Goldberg.

"Can I touch it?" Goldberg was asking.

"Go ahead" Allie replied laughing at Goldberg's expression when he reached out and touched her belly.

"Who are you and why are my boyfriend's hands all over you?" a brunette girl Allie didn't recognise cut into the air.

"Excuse me?" Allie turned around to face the girl.

The girl looked down at Allie's belly and an incredibly horrified expression came across her face.

"Oh my god you've gotten her pregnant. How could you Greg?" she screamed before fleeing the apartment in tears.

"Kelly wait!" Goldberg ran after his 'girlfriend'.

The entire room was silent for about three seconds after before everyone burst into laughter.

"Trust Goldberg to hook up with the psycho from hell" Averman cried wiping away tears of laughter.

Allie had to smile, the thought of Goldberg getting her pregnant was pretty funny, especially since Goldberg had been deathly afraid of Portman.

"And you guys said I'm bad!" Linda laughed.

"No we never" Averman protested.

"Yes we did guys" Luis agreed.

"Okay so maybe we did but we like you now Linda" Averman raised his beer up in the air in Linda's direction.

"Thanks guys I feel so loved" Linda rolled her eyes.

"And don't you forget it" Charlie gave his girlfriend of almost five years a kiss.

"Hey have you seen Connie?" Julie asked Allie who was suddenly aware she hadn't seen the girl since she arrived at Fulton's house.

"No and I haven't seen Banks either" Allie noticed that Adam was also missing from the party.

"Oh" Julie suddenly realised where Connie was and grabbed Allie's hand and dragged her outside where they found Connie sitting alone on a chair and it was obvious she'd been crying.

"Connie what is it?" Julie sat down beside Connie.

Connie shook her head unable to speak as the fresh tears fell down her face.

"Is it Adam?" Allie asked gently as she slowly set herself down on the step that separated the back door from the garden.

Connie nodded.

"Where is he?" Julie asked.

"The asshole isn't coming. He's staying in New Jersey because he's decided we're over" Connie exploded.

"He dumped you?" Julie was livid.

"Yeah for some preppy girl at Princeton, I guess Minnesota Community College isn't good enough for him now the hockey scouts are looking at him" Connie put herself down.

"Don't you talk like that, you're too good for him. He can stay with his little fellow cake-eaters at Princeton then" Julie placed an arm around Connie.

"Thanks" Connie cracked a little smile.

"So what was all the screaming about a minute ago?" Connie asked looking confused.

"Apparently Goldberg got me pregnant" Allie replied with a straight face as Julie cracked up laughing.

"What?" Connie didn't get the joke.

By the time the girls had finished explaining to her what had happened Connie was in stitches also.

Julie ended up driving Allie home after Allie had insisted that Fulton stay and have fun with his friends whilst he was on holidays.

Fulton had looked disappointed but agreed nonetheless.

Allie arrived home to find her father in his study looking pleased that she'd come home. He fussed over her whilst showing a million baby clothes he'd arranged to be bought for his unborn grandchild and numerous other items like a cot and a pusher.

Allie couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. It almost rivalled Fulton's excitement.

Eventually she headed up to bed with Bash hot on her heels.

Once tucked into bed she realised something.

She really missed having Fulton around.

* * *

**A/N - I'm not American and therefore have never attended Amercian college so I have no idea when their breaks are or for how long so I've just made it up. My apologies if its wrong. Yes I've made Banksie a jackass but in all reality who really stays with their high school sweethearts anyway after college? Not all that many.**


	39. Nasty Turn of Events

**FOUR WEEKS LATER**

"Hey anyone home?" Fulton returned to their apartment after what seemed like the longest day at the firm. He had to remind himself that it was all a part of his degree.

He now knew that the word 'intern' basically meant 'shit kicker'. _Allie would find it amusing _he thought with a smile as he trudged up the stairs throwing his suit jacket over his arm and loosening his tie.

He followed the sound of her voice to the room that would soon become the nursery. Pausing at the open doorway he leaned against the frame and watched her adoringly.

She had her back to him as she sat in a giant wooden rocking chair, her enormous belly in her hands as she stroked it whilst rocking back and forth.

Fulton smiled when she began singing absentmindedly. He loved it when she sang but it saddened him that she never sung in public anymore, not since Portman left the world.

She's got a smile that sings to me Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky Now and then when I see her face It takes me away to that special place And if I stare too long I'll probably break down and cry Oh, oh oh Sweet Child O' Mine Oh oh oh oh Sweet Love of Mine 

Fulton let her go on a little longer before he cleared his throat, drawing attention to the fact that he was there.

"Hey, how was your first day as the _intern_?" Allie smiled at her housemate as she tried to get up from the chair.

Fulton noted that she looked tired.

"You say that like it's a bad thing" Fulton laughed moving forward to help her out of the chair.

"Oh come on Fult, surely you've worked out by now intern means 'shit kicker'. So how many coffee's did you get today?" she teased him good-naturedly.

Fulton stared at her in shock.

_How the hell does she do that?_ He wondered realising that this isn't the first time she's read his mind lately.

"What? You know I didn't mean it" Allie was horrified and now thought Fulton was upset with her.

"Huh?" Fulton snapped out of his daydream and frowned at the expression on her face before realisation sunk in.

"Oh no no no, I know what it means now, its just that what you said was exactly what I was thinking when I got home. Scary huh?" Fulton smiled to let her know he wasn't mad at her.

"Yeah, I think you've been hanging out with me for waaay too long now" Allie laughed pausing mid-step to hold her stomach.

"Damn it this one is as bad as its father, if it doesn't take up hockey then it'll play either football or soccer" she laughed rubbing the bulge that was the baby inside her stomach.

Fulton stared at her. It was the first time she'd made a reference to Dean without tearing up.

"Hey, come here you gotta feel it" Allie grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

Fulton sucked his breath in. he thought he'd gotten his feelings for her under control and then she goes and does something like this and makes him fall in love with her all over again. The sad thing is that she has no idea she's doing it.

"Wow" Fulton was at a loss when he felt a tiny nudge against his hand.

Allie looked down at him with a huge grin on her face as Fulton sank to his knees pressing his ear to her stomach to see if he could hear anything.

_He really is sweet_ she thought as he moved his hand to gently touch another part of her pregnant belly.

_Whoah wait a minute what the hell am I saying?_ Allie wondered with a frown.

"That really is amazing Allie" Fulton looked up at her and grinned snapping her out of her crazy thoughts and she couldn't help but smile back.

He was more excited about this baby than she was.

They locked eyes for a moment, neither of them were unable to look away. Fulton stood up slowly his eyes never leaving her face.

She inhaled softly not sure what was going on here. _What the hell do you even want to happen?_ She asked herself.

_I don't know_ the voice inside her head answered.

Fulton reached out and pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face as his palm gently caressed her cheek.

Allie continued to stare at him unable to move or speak.

_Get a grip Allie you only lost Dean six months ago_ the voice inside her head was telling her but her body had other things on its mind. It still wouldn't move.

_Dude, she's your dead best friend's girlfriend_ Fulton's mind was screaming at him but like Allie, his body had other plans.

Before anything could happen the phone rang sending its high pitched ring echoing throughout the apartment.

This was enough to make Fulton retract his hand and Allie to snap out of it.

"I'll get it" they both mumbled at the same time.

"It's probably for you anyway" Fulton said softly as he watched her rush down the stairs to get the phone.

"Hello?" Allie answered, any sign of her earlier discomfort was undetectable in her voice as she spoke.

"Oh hey Sarah what's up?"

Fulton cringed, he couldn't believe he was about to make a move on his best friend's girlfriend. _Jesus, Fulton its only been six months you idiot!_ His inner voice was scolding him.

"Yeah it kicked today, I think it's gonna take after it's daddy" Allie was saying.

"Yeah I miss you too sweetie, maybe you could come visit us. I'm sure Fulton would love that just as much as I would"

Fulton smiled, he hadn't seen Sarah since the funeral when her mother left her in the care of a relative after Kate had been hauled away by security.

"Aw honey I'm sure she doesn't mean that" Allie was saying.

"WHAT?" Allie suddenly screeched.

Fulton rushed down the stairs to see if she was okay.

"No honey listen to me, pack your bags and get to the airport, you're on the next flight to Boston. I'll pick you up"

Fulton was starting to become worried. _What had happened to his deceased mate's little sister?_

"Don't argue with me Sarah, I'm not having you put up with that any longer, Dean would never ever forgive me"

"Okay, promise you'll call when you get to the airport?"

"Right, I love you too sweetie, see you soon" Allie hung the phone up and immediately began dialling another number.

"Yes, I'd like to reserve a seat on the next flight to Boston from Minneapolis"

Fulton placed his hand on Allie's arm giving her a questioning look.

"My name's Allie Taylor but the passenger will be Sarah Portman"

"Yes and what time does that arrive in Boston? Ten thirty, excellent"

Allie then gave her credit card details.

"Thank you so much for that, have a nice evening" she said before hanging the phone up.

"Allie what's wrong?" Fulton asked when he recognised the very pissed off look that crossed her face.

"That fucking bitch! Her boyfriend's been abusing her daughter and she doesn't give a damn" Allie exploded.

"Hang on what?" Fulton asked leading Allie to the sofa where he sat down next to her.

"Kate's gone and got herself a sleazeball boyfriend who thinks its okay to creep into Sarah's room at night and hurt her, I could fucking kill someone" Allie laid the facts out on the table for Fulton to ponder over.

"Damn it I'm going to kill that bastard, you stay here" Fulton got up off the couch.

"Fulton, honey seriously we're in Boston, they're in Minneapolis" Allie was the voice of reason for a change.

Fulton stopped dead when she called him honey.

"So what do you plan on doing?" Fulton asked sitting back down. At this stage Allie could have asked him to do anything in the world for her and he would gladly do it.

"Sarah's coming here to stay for a while, I hope that's okay" Allie suddenly realised she hadn't even asked Fulton if it was okay with him.

"Of course its okay, are you going to call the police?" Fulton asked.

Allie shrugged "I guess we'll see when she gets here"

"Allie you have to promise me you won't do anything stupid. You're about to have a baby in less than a month's time" Fulton pleaded.

"Fult, I have to make sure she's okay. Dean would want me to" Allie's eyes started tearing over, they way they always did whenever she talked about Dean.

"I know and I promised Dean I'd look after _you_" Fulton said firmly.

"You are Fult, more than you'll ever know" Allie replied softly. "But I have to do this" she added.

"Come on, I'll make up the spare room" Fulton sighed getting up off the couch again and headed up the stairs.

"And you are staying right there young lady" Fulton turned around and pointed at Allie who stuck her tongue out at him.

Fulton reached the top of the stairs and hid around the corner. He knew Allie wouldn't stay on the couch like he asked.

_One, two, three, four_ he counted in his head and was amused when he heard her get up and head towards the stairs.

He waited until she got right up to the top then grinned as he stuck his head around the corner.

"You never do as you're told do you?" he laughed.

"Jesus! Fulton you scared the crap out of me, don't do that!" she scolded swatting him on the arm.

Fulton laughed as he skipped off towards their little guest room.

"Come on, the quicker we do this the quicker I can take you out for dinner" he called.

"Fulton I can cook you know" Allie tried to protest. She hated it when he spent his hard earned money on her when there were plenty of other things he could buy for himself and other girls he could take out to dinner.

"I know you can sweetie and you're a good cook but you haven't cooked anything for dinner and I'm getting rather hungry" Fulton argued in a manner that wouldn't set the pregnant girl off on a rant.

"Fine but you are so not paying" Allie entered the room and threw a pillow at his head.

"We'll talk about that later" Fulton wished that just for once she would let him take care of her like he promised he would.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"So where do you wanna go?" Fulton asked Allie as they strolled arm in arm down the street.

"I really have this strong craving for Italian food" Allie told him in a tone that said _I need spaghetti now or you're gonna die a horrible, painful death_.

"Italian it is then" Fulton chuckled as they continued walking.

An elderly couple smiled at them, the woman's grin broadened when she saw Allie's belly.

A couple of younger guys in their 20s watched them walk past, each man eyeing up Allie. One even gave Fulton the thumbs up when he noticed that Allie was pregnant.

Fulton shook his head trying to keep the smile off of his face as they walked. He loved it when people assumed he was Allie's boyfriend or husband.

"Is it just me or are people staring at us?" Allie leant in close and whispered.

Fulton could smell the minty flavour of her toothpaste on her breath.

"Some are, its just cos you're so damn cute though" Fulton ruffled her hair in a friendly way.

"Call me cute again and you'll be sorry" Allie warned glaring at him.

_Oops, _he'd forgotten about the pregnancy hormones.

"Sorry" Fulton hung his head as they walked along.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Allie was shifting nervously in her seat tightly gripping Fulton's hand.

She didn't know what to expect when Sarah stepped off of that plane.

"She'll be fine Allie, she has us remember?" Fulton whispered squeezing her hand a little tighter for comfort.

The truth was he was scared stiff too. He knew Sarah meant the world to Dean and if he were alive to see what had happened to her there would be hell to pay. Heck Allie knows what's going on and Fulton had no doubt in his mind that the bastard that did it to her was going down.

Allie saw the girl walking towards them and she felt her anger rising up again.

Gone was the bubbly, happy girl that was just having a bad day that she'd been the last time Allie saw her at her brother's funeral and in its place was what looked like a shell of what Sarah used to be.

Her eyes were sunken, her face hollow and her skin had taken on a sickly grey tinge to it. Anyone could see this girl had been through hell.

"Oh my god" Fulton sucked in a breath as he too was horrified by what he was seeing.

"Shh, we cant let her see we're shocked, we have to treat her the same as usual" Allie whispered to him before plastering a smile on her face for Sarah's benefit.

"SARAH!" Allie waved her arms over her head.

Sarah's eyes lit up for a brief moment when she recognised her "almost sister" as she'd once put it. Allie had told her to get rid of the "almost" crap and just say that they're sisters.

"Hey sweetie" Allie enveloped Sarah into a big bear hug.

"Allie you're gonna squish your baby" Sarah replied glancing nervously at Fulton.

"Well don't I get a hug?" Fulton asked pretending to be hurt.

"Um, okay" Sarah replied cautiously as she reluctantly stepped into Fulton's arms.

Allie and Fulton exchanged worried looks. Fulton tried not to take it personally, the bastard who'd hurt her had done this to her and now he was going to pay.

"So have you eaten? Are you hungry? Man I could kill for a rump steak right now!" Allie ignored the horrified look of Sarah and the laughing Fulton.

"You'll get used to it Sarah, she eats about 90 of the time now" Fulton said softly to Sarah who flinched at the sound of his voice.

Fulton retracted slightly feeling a little hurt. He knew it wasn't his fault or anything but his heart was breaking for the young girl.

"Allie your boobs are huge!" Sarah actually cracked a smile as Allie quickly covered her chest with her overcoat.

"Shut up!" Allie replied laughing.

Fulton was so embarrassed he didn't know where to look.

"Can we go now?" Sarah asked.

"Sure, do we have to get any suitcases or anything?" Allie asked the girl who shook her head.

"Nope I had to leave before mom and _Doug_ got home" Sarah spat the man's name out with an obvious venom.

"Its okay, you can wear some of my stuff, you know the stuff _before _I got enormous boobs!" Allie joked as Fulton took Sarah's small duffel bag pretending he hadn't heard anything.

The trio made their way out to the car that was Allie's BMW convertible that she lets Fulton drive around to make him look like the lawyer he was studying to be.

"You didn't have this car in Minnesota" Sarah observed as she climbed into the front seat.

"No it was too hard to get it over here so I just bought a new one" Allie replied from the backseat.

"This ones way nicer anyway, the Mercedes made you look like an old person trying to be young again" Sarah commented.

"Gee thanks Bear" Allie replied rolling her eyes.

Sarah grew quiet again and Allie mentally scolded herself for using the nickname her brother had given her.

"I miss Bean" Sarah suddenly blurted out turning around to look at her "sister".

"I know honey, I miss him too" Allie replied feeling the tears welling up again. Damn these stupid pregnancy hormones.

The rest of the drive was in silence. Every often Fulton would glance across at Sarah in the front seat or look in the rear-view mirror to check on Allie.

Both girls had a sad, faraway look on their faces and it didn't take a genius to work out what they were both thinking about. He was thinking about it too.

"Here we are" Fulton announced as he drove past the security gates to the apartment building and parked in their private underground car park.

Fulton was extremely glad Allie had let her father splash out on a safe and secure apartment complex for his only daughter to live in.

He was also very grateful that Allie and Portman had asked him to move in with them when they first found the apartment.

It was just sad that Portman never got to move in.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"You okay in here?" Allie softly knocked on the door to Sarah's room.

"Yeah for the first time in months I feel safe" Sarah admitted as she pulled the comforter around her shoulders even tighter.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you honey" Allie apologised wishing that she'd known about this sooner so that she could step in and do something before it got to this stage.

"How could you have known? I didn't exactly tell anyone about it" Sarah hung her head.

"Hey, its okay, the main thing is that you're safe now. If anyone tries to hurt you again Fulton and I will go all 'psycho murderer' on their ass" Allie struck a kung-fu pose that had Sarah in stitches. Mainly because Allie couldn't kick her leg any higher than her knee before the belly got in the way.

"Its good to see you smile Sarah" Allie sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It kinda feels good but at the same time I feel so guilty"

"Why?"

"Because I'm still here trying to have a good time and Dean's down there not able to do or feel anything"

"You know sometimes I feel guilty too but then I remember that having a good time was what Dean loved the most about life and he'd hate it if we were all mopey and sad"

"He loved you so much Allie"

"He loved you too Sarah, he'd do anything for you"

"I know and that's what made me feel so special and then he went and left me and now I have no one"

"Hey that's not true, you have me and I know for a fact that Fulton would kill for you. I would too and so would all of the Ducks and Linda and we all know that Linda is one scary lady"

"Its not really the same though"

"I know"

The girls sat in silence each running out of things to say.

"Hey Allie, there's a message on the machine I think you should hear" Fulton's dark head appeared in the doorway.

Allie frowned when she saw Sarah tense up considerably.

"Thanks Fult, I'll be down in a second" Allie replied.

"Its okay Sarah, its only Fulton and he wont hurt you" Allie tried soothing the nervous girl.

"I know its just that its hard to trust anyone anymore" she replied.

Allie looked sadly at the girl. Twelve years old and her innocence had been stripped away.

"I understand, I think Fulton would understand too" Allie patted the girls arm.

"Come on lets get you to sleep and I'll go see what Fulton's going on about" Allie replied.

"Thanks Allie, for everything"

"No problem. I love you" Allie said kissing the girl on the forehead when she got settled in the bed.

"Love you too" Sarah replied sleepily.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

Allie waited a few minute before heading down the stairs to where Fulton was sitting on the couch.

"She's afraid of me isn't she?" he asked sadly.

Allie's heart broke at the look on his face. She took a seat next to him and put her arms around his shoulders.

"Its not you, its just that she's afraid of males right now and unfortunately you've got that Y chromosome" Allie explained.

"Yeah I know, its just so damn hard seeing her like that. She's like my little sister as well" Fulton's voice had an edge of tiredness to it.

"Yeah I know but just give her a little bit of time, I'm sure she'll come around sooner or later"

"I hope so, it fucking sucks to see her like that" Fulton replied angrily.

"So what's this message I need to hear?" Allie tried changing the subject before Fulton blew his stack.

"Oh yeah, you're not gonna like it though" Fulton warned walking over to the answering machine and turning the volume right down so that Sarah couldn't hear it.

Allie stood next to him as he hit the playback button.

"_You fucking little whore did you honestly think you could get away with stealing my child? You take my husband, then my son and I'll be damned if you think you're gonna take away my daughter"_ Kate Portman's voice was heard.

"_Bah let her have the little slut, I was getting bored with her anyway"_ a man's voice was heard and Allie assumed this was "Doug".

"_Keep the little bitch but don't think I'm gonna be paying you a single cent for her"_ "Doug's" voice was heard louder before they hung up.

"Get me your best lawyer Fulton, I'm getting custody of her" Allie ordered through clenched teeth.

"I guess I'd better save this then" Fulton said taking the small tape out of the machine.

He opened the drawer underneath the table to find an envelope and a pen. He placed the tape inside the envelope and marked it "Kate's doom".

"Come into the office with me tomorrow, I'll make sure we get something sorted out" Fulton promised rubbing Allie's shoulder as she yawned.

"Bed now missy!" Fulton didn't waste the opportunity. He looked at the clock and realised that it was almost 1am.

Allie didn't argue as she allowed Fulton to lead her up the stairs towards her bedroom where he pulled the covers back ready for her to climb in.

"Night" Fulton kissed her forehead.

"Fult?" Allie asked sleepily.

"Yeah" he turned around.

"Would you stay with me?" she asked not wanting to be alone tonight.

Fulton hesitated "Um okay, I'll be back in a minute" he exited the room with his heart in his throat. The last time he'd spent the night holding her was right after Portman's funeral.

Fulton made his way towards his own room where he undressed; leaving his work suit laid across his bed and put a pair of pyjama bottoms and an old t-shirt on.

When he entered Allie's room she was already in bed wearing the green silk maternity pyjamas Julie had bought her as a gift.

"Are you okay?" Fulton asked sliding into the bed next to Allie.

"No" Allie replied truthfully pulling the covers back up to her chin.

"Wanna talk about it?" Fulton asked.

"Nope" Allie replied putting her head on his shoulder.

"Okay" Fulton agreed turning the lamp off.

"Night" he whispered squeezing his arm that was around her.

"Night" Allie replied snuggling deeper into the curve of his neck.

Fulton smiled when he heard her soft snoring a few minutes later. He couldn't have asked for a better end to a shitty day.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Fulton woke to the smell of bacon and eggs being cooked.

He peered across at the sleeping form of Allie next to him and smiled. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world as she slept.

He carefully got out of the bed hastily rubbing a hand through his tangled hair as he made his way to the bathroom.

Once finished in there he made his way down to the kitchen to find Sarah cooking up an enormous breakfast.

"This looks good" Fulton commented taking a seat at the counter.

Sarah whipped around "Oh Fulton, sorry I didn't see you come in" she said a little too coolly.

"Something wrong?" Fulton asked noticing the glare she was giving him.

"You tell me" Sarah replied cryptically.

_Jeez she's just like her brother_ Fulton thought.

"Can't think of anything off the top of my head but I just woke up so my brain's not functioning" Fulton tried joking.

"But I guess the rest of you was functioning pretty well last night huh" Sarah was mad about something.

"Sarah what are you talking about?" Fulton asked wishing she'd just get to the point.

"I'm talking about you and Allie, together. You're not fooling anyone with the 'just friends' act you know" Sarah shot back at him.

"What? We are just friends though" Fulton felt like he'd been stabbed in the chest. He took a sip of the orange juice that was in front of him

"Right so is that why you two were sleeping together" Sarah accused.

Fulton spat the juice over the counter "WHAT!" he boomed.

Sarah was startled.

"No, no that's not how it is Sarah, she's been through a lot lately, with Dean and then the baby and the other stuff too" Fulton didn't know how to bring up the topic of Sarah's situation.

"What's with all the yelling?" Allie entered the kitchen rubbing her eyes.

Sarah quickly turned away and busied herself with the rest of the breakfast.

"Sarah thought we were, um, you know in your bed last night" Fulton blushed and immediately became fascinated with something on the front page of yesterday's paper.

"Huh? Oh" Allie realised what Fulton meant and she too blushed a little.

"So its not true then?" Sarah said in a small voice.

"No its not true" Allie replied going over to give the girl a hug "I just didn't want to be alone last night" she explained.

"Sorry guys, I'm such a dill-hole" Sarah said sheepishly looking down at the floor.

"Hey don't worry about it, it runs in your genes remember?" Allie laughed.

"Yeah and my mom's the Queen of the Dill-holes" Sarah declared making Fulton choke on his juice.

"Sarah we need to talk to you about something" Allie suddenly became very serious. She'd wanted to ask Sarah about the custody issue before she saw a lawyer.

"Okay" Sarah removed the pan from the cooktop and turned the heat off.

She took a seat next to Fulton.

"Its about the situation with your mom" Allie began wondering if that was the best way to go about it when she saw Sarah's head drop.

"We just wanted to ask you, if the Judge lets us, if you wanted to live with us and we'd be your guardians" Fulton finished the sentence.

Sarah's head snapped back up "Are you serious?" she asked hopefully.

"If the Courts will let us then yes we're dead serious" Fulton told her.

Allie glanced at him realising how proud she was of him. The unruly Bash Brother she'd met all those years ago was a distant memory now.

"Oh my god!" Sarah became excited.

"There is one thing and I know this is going to be one of the hardest things you've ever had to do" Allie thought it was best to be upfront with her rather than springing things on her.

"What?" Sarah suddenly became suspicious.

"We have to go to the police and tell them everything your mother's boyfriend has done to you" Allie said softly.

"I….I…..can't" Sarah's bottom lip started quivering.

"Sarah, if we don't then there's every chance you could be sent back to Minnesota" Fulton tried reasoning.

Sarah didn't say anything. She hastily wiped a stray tear away.

"Okay" she finally whispered.

"Can you make an appointment for me at your firm?" Allie asked Fulton.

"Of course" Fulton replied nodding.

"Don't worry Sarah, we'll fight for you ever step of the way" he added trying to reassure the young girl.

_God I hope he's right_ Allie thought knowing this was going to be a long hard battle.

**A/N - sorry it took so long to update, thanks for the reviews.**


	40. New Arrival

The next day Allie and Fulton went to see a lawyer about obtaining custody of Sarah. Their lawyer felt that there was an extremely strong case against Kate Portman and he was confident they would win, especially with Sarah's testimony.

The hearing was set for early next month and surprisingly it didn't go all that long especially when Kate tripped herself up and started her usual rantings about how Allie killed her husband and her son and when her grandchild was born Allie would probably kill that too. The judge had been less than sympathetic towards Kate after that.

In the end it was a combination of Kate's stupidity, Sarah's shocking testimony and the tape from the answering machine that won it for Allie and Fulton.

It was now official, they were the legal guardians of Sarah Portman.

"So who wants icecream to celebrate?" Fulton approached his two girls with a big grin.

"ME!" Sarah exclaimed.

Allie was about to answer when she was overcome by a crippling pain in her abdomen.

"Ow!' she doubled over.

"What 'ow'?" Fulton's face turned pale.

The puddle on the floor answered his question.

"Now?" he asked.

Allie nodded.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sarah was almost beside herself. All she could see was Allie in a great deal of pain and Fulton rushing around to help her.

"It's okay, the baby's coming" Allie managed to breathe out.

"Really!" Sarah's worry was replaced by excitement.

"Yeah….ow!" another contraction ripped through Allie's body.

"Come on let's go!" Fulton ordered leading Allie and Sarah who had decided to start yelling "Outta the way baby coming through"

several people turned to stare including Kate Portman who looked torn between rushing after them and staying put.

_I don't want anything to do with that girl_ she told herself.

They made it to the car and Allie honestly thought she was going to die the pain was so bad.

"Sarah get in the back with her" Fulton ordered practically jumping into the drivers seat and starting the car up.

He whipped out of the car park and headed towards the hospital.

He barely had time to park before Sarah jumped out of the car and rushed towards the emergency room screaming "HELP!"

Fulton concentrated on getting Allie out of the car. She had a death grip on his arm and he thought his arm was going to fall off from lack of blood circulation.

Fulton smiled a little when he saw Sarah leading two nurses out to the car with a wheelchair.

"How far apart are the contractions?" a nurse asked Fulton.

"I have no idea I was just concentrating on getting her here" he admitted sheepishly.

"That's okay we'll get her inside" one guided Allie into the chair and wheeled her towards the doors.

"If you could fill out some paperwork for her we'll get her into the maternity ward straight away" a nurse asked Fulton who nodded.

"Sarah you go with Allie, I'll find you" Fulton instructed.

Sarah nodded and followed Allie and the nurses.

Fulton retrieved Allie's bag from the backseat and locked the car. He pulled out his cell phone. He thought he should call Allie's father and let him know his first grandchild is on its way.

"Taylor residence, this is Victoria speaking" Vicki answered the phone.

"Vicki its Fulton is David there?" he asked.

"Is everything okay with Allie?" Vicki asked concerned.

"Yeah I think she's about to have the baby, we're at Boston City Memorial" Fulton told her.

"Oh how exciting I'll see if David's around" Vicki put Fulton on hold and went off to find David Taylor.

"Fulton how is she? Tell her I'm on my way" David breathed into the phone.

"She's fine and will do" Fulton said before hanging up.

He then dialled Ken.

"Wu man!" Fulton exclaimed when he picked up.

"Fult how's it going?" Ken was glad to hear Fulton's voice.

"Great, listen get your ass down to Boston City Memorial, a baby Duck's about to be born" he informed him.

"Awesome, hey shouldn't you be in there with Allie?" Ken realised that Fulton was on the phone with him rather than in with Allie.

"I guess" Fulton was unsure whether he was wanted in there.

"Get in there Reed, I'll call the others, including Hayley" Ken offered.

"Thanks dude, see you soon" Fulton hung up and entered the hospital.

"You're with the pregnant lady that was just brought in?" a nurse at the desk looked across at Fulton.

"Yeah" Fulton replied.

"Fill these out please and I'll take you to her when you're done" she informed him handing over a clipboard and a wad of papers.

He filled out the forms as best as he could using the information from her purse.

"Excellent, this way please" the nurse led Fulton towards the maternity wing of the hospital.

"Fulton?" another nurse asked.

Fulton nodded.

"Good she's screaming for you" the nurse looked relieved and she half-dragged Fulton into the room where Allie was screaming in agony and Sarah was looking half scared, half fascinated.

"FULTON!" Allie yelled when she saw him.

Fulton immediately rushed to the bedside and she made a grab for his hand.

"Did you call Hayley?" Allie asked in a rare moment of calm.

"Ken's taking care of it. He's calling all of the Ducks too. And I called your dad and he said he's on his way"

"Good, NOW GET THIS THING OUT OF ME!" she screeched curling up in pain again.

"She's dilated, I don't think it will be too long now" a midwife informed Fulton.

"Do you want to do that breathing thingy?" Fulton asked.

"NO" Allie replied but started breathing deeply anyway.

Fulton tried not to smile at her.

"Allie, its coming so when I say push, push" a midwife told her.

"No not yet!" Allie protested she was suddenly fearful she wasn't ready to be a mother, a single mother at that.

"I'm afraid its coming out whether you like it or not" a nurse told her.

"PUSH!" someone yelled.

Allie pushed gripping Fulton's hand as if her life depended on it.

Fulton was pretty sure he felt bones breaking under the pressure.

"Stop pushing" she was ordered.

"I can't, I want it out!" Allie protested.

"STOP PUSHING!"

Allie stopped immediately.

"Here, wipe her brow" Fulton was handed a wet towel which he gently pressed to Allie's forehead.

"How you doing?" he asked gently.

"How do you think?" she replied shortly.

Fulton didn't take any offence. He'd read in the 'Pregnancy for Dummies' handbook that women can get nasty in the delivery room.

"Get ready to start pushing again"

Allie kept quiet. Obviously she was starting to tire.

Fulton snuck a look across at Sarah and almost burst out laughing when he saw her expression. She was completely enthralled by what was going on around her.

"Ken have you heard anything?" Julie ran into the waiting room to find Ken sitting alone.

"Nope" Ken said simply and returned to his magazine.

Julie sat down next to him.

"How've you been?" she asked.

"Good, I've gotten myself a practical at the Psychiatric Hospital during the summer" Ken said.

"That's great" Julie smiled.

"How's California?" Ken asked.

"Great, I miss Maine though, and believe it or not, Minnesota" Julie admitted she was feeling homesick.

"Yeah I miss San Fran. I wasn't too keen on Minnesota winters though" Ken replied.

"Is my Godbaby born yet?" Hayley had just arrived wearing a massive grin on her face.

"Hayls!" Julie exclaimed as the two girls hugged.

"Not yet, it's a Taylor crossed with a Portman, of course it'll keep us waiting!" Ken replied.

"Smartass!" Hayley jumped on Ken giving him a big hug.

"What's all this?" Julie asked pointing to Hayley's bags.

"Baby stuff I made" Hayley handed Julie the bag.

"This is awesome" Julie exclaimed looking at each piece separately.

"I got an A for it" Hayley replied happily.

One by one the Ducks, Linda and Mr Taylor filtered into the waiting room awaiting any news on the first ever Duck baby. Adam was the only one absent.

"Do you think I should buy the baby some chocolate milk? That would taste so much better than regular milk?" Averman asked Connie who slapped him upside the head.

"Idiot it'll be drinking breast milk" she informed him.

"I wonder what that would taste like" Averman wondered out loud.

"AVERMAN!" the Ducks scolded.

"What did I say?" Averman looked confused.

……………………...…………………………………………….

"Is it over?" Allie whispered tiredly.

"Congratulations Allie it's a beautiful healthy little girl" the midwife interrupted.

"A girl" Allie whispered with tears in her eyes.

"Here she is" the midwife handed Allie her daughter wrapped up in a pink blanket.

"Wow" Sarah leaned in closer to get a good look.

"Hi I'm your Aunty Sarah" Sarah introduced herself "And that's your mommy and that's umm…" Sarah thought for a moment as she looked at Fulton .

Fulton looked away.

"Daddy Fulton" she finished causing both Allie and Fulton to smile.

"Daddy Fulton, I like that" Allie told Fulton.

"Me too" Fulton grinned.

"Wanna hold her?" she asked.

"Are you sure?" Fulton was cautious. He'd never held a real baby before and the dummies in Lamaze class didn't count.

"Yeah" Allie handed over the baby to Fulton who looked like he'd just fallen in love.

"Hi baby" he said softly.

Allie couldn't help but feel a little sad. She'd just given birth to her beautiful daughter and Dean wasn't here to share in it. She knew he would be watching them from above and he would be ecstatic to learn he had a daughter.

She was grateful Fulton was there for her.

_Fulton's always been there for you_ a voice told her.

"We have to take this one down to the nursery now. You should get some rest and perhaps think of a name. We'll organise the birth certificate later" the midwife interrupted taking the baby from Fulton's arms.

Allie nodded, fatigue was slowly getting the better of her.

"I'll go see if the others have arrived yet" Fulton said softly.

Allie nodded. She really wanted to go to sleep now.

"I'll come too" Sarah wanted to see the Ducks again.

Allie nodded again.

"Congratulations" Fulton said softly and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks, for everything. Both of you" she said quietly to Sarah and Fulton.

"You're very welcome" Sarah said brightly.

"I'll see you later" Fulton whispered before leaving the room.

Allie let out a huge breath and looked towards the ceiling.

_Well honey we have a daughter_ she thought as if she were sending a message to Portman.

………………………………………...………………………….

"Fulton!" Connie looked up to see the tired Bash Brother wearing a suit and tie enter the waiting area.

"Sarah!" Julie added making the younger girl feel welcome.

"Well?" the Ducks asked at once. They were anxious to know how things were going.

"Girl" Fulton broke out into a massive grin.

"YEAH!" the Ducks whooped and cheered giving each other hugs and high fives.

"I have a granddaughter" Mr Taylor exclaimed happily.

"How's Allie doing?" Hayley asked.

"She's fine, tired but fine" Fulton replied.

"Can we see her?" Julie asked hopefully.

"She's asleep. We might be able to see the baby in the nursery though" Fulton looked around for a nurse to ask.

The Ducks chatted excitedly amongst themselves whilst Fulton flagged down a nurse.

"All of you want to go down there?" the nurse looked warily at the group of people.

"Please they're Allie's best friends and her father's here too" Fulton pleaded his case.

"Alright but they have to understand that they can't make any noise" the nurse said sternly.

"Yes m'aam" Fulton agreed.

The nurse sighed and led the pack down the hall towards the newborn nursery.

"Name?" she asked scanning the list.

"Taylor or Portman" Fulton didn't know which surname Allie would use.

"There's a Taylor there but no first name" the nurse looked at the list and pointed out the Taylor baby wrapped up in the pink blanket.

"That's her" Fulton exclaimed pointing the baby out to the rest of the Ducks.

"Aw" the girls gushed.

"Averman are you crying?" Goldberg asked.

"Yes" Averman admitted.

"What? It's a cute kid" he scoffed.

Goldberg just shook his head.

"Its okay Aves you can cry with us" Hayley stuck her tongue out at Goldberg and put her arm around Averman.

"Gee she sure is pretty" Dwayne commented. He'd actually taken the cowboy hat off so he could press his nose to the glass.

"So who do you think she looks like?" Russ asked.

"I dunno they all kinda look the same to me" Luis answered.

"True" Russ agreed.

"Hey guys sorry I'm late my flight was delayed" Adam ran up the hall carrying a massive bouquet of flowers.

"Hey Banks" the team, minus Connie, greeted.

"So is one of these babies a Duck?" Adam turned towards the glass.

"Yep the little girl right there" Fulton proudly pointed her out.

"Wow" Adam breathed.

"I know" Fulton agreed.

"He would have been so proud" Adam gently placed a hand on Fulton's shoulder.

Fulton nodded.

"So where's Allie?" Adam asked obviously looking for somewhere to offload the flowers.

"She's asleep" Fulton told him.

"I'll take them in to her" Mr Taylor offered taking the flowers from Adam.

"Thanks Mr Taylor" Adam said.

"Call me David, Mr Taylor sounds so old" David winced expecting what was going to come next.

"Davey you ARE old, you're a GRANDPA!" Hayley hooted cackled.

"I knew that was coming" Mr Taylor rolled his eyes at the boys and walked off down the hall.

"Come on guys lets get some food and come back" Charlie suggested.

The Ducks agreed. Fulton was a little reluctant.

"Fult, she'll be fine, she's with her dad and I think he's dying for some alone time" Hayley explained.

"Yeah you're right" Fulton said before asking Sarah if she was coming too.

"Can I?" she asked hopefully.

"Duh we wouldn't leave without you" Adam said and the girl went all dreamy.

"She'll soon learn what a jerk he is" Connie hissed to Julie who had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling.

……………………………………...………………………

"Hey you're awake" David grinned when he saw his daughter stirring.

"Hey dad" Allie smiled.

"I hear we have ourselves a girl" David said happily.

"Yeah, have you seen her?" she asked.

"Fulton got us in to the nursery, she's gorgeous" Mr Taylor was proud as punch.

"I'll see if I can get her up here and you can have a hold" Allie reached for the call button.

"Oh good you're awake, I was just about to bring the little one up for a feed" the nurse informed Allie.

"Okay" Allie was a little nervous.

"I'll be back in a minute" the nurse said.

A few moments later she re-entered the room with the sleeping baby.

"Shall I give her to mommy?" the nurse asked.

"No give her to grandpa, oh my god that sounds weird" Allie laughed.

"I'm not even going to tell you what Hayley said" David accepted the baby.

"Hayls is here?" Allie asked.

"Yes and the rest of the Ducks, those flowers there are from Adam, I think his name was" David indicated with his head to the vase on the table across the room.

Allie smiled glad all of her friends were here.

"Excuse me Miss Taylor? The Registrar is available to witness the birth certificate, have you thought of a name yet?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Yes" Allie replied. She knew exactly what she wanted to call the baby.

"Here fill this form out and we'll have a Certificate ready for you to sign in no time" the nurse handed Allie a clipboard and a pen.

……………………………...…………………………………

"Aren't you gonna talk to me Cons?" Adam siddled up to Connie outside McDonalds.

"No and its CONNIE to you" Connie snapped.

"Connie how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Adam sighed.

"As many times as it takes" Connie replied giving him the brush off as she went to stand next to Dwayne.

"Ouch" Charlie slapped Adam on the back.

"I know, I wanna be her friend like we used to be but I can't help it if I'm not in love with her anymore" Adam stared as Connie laughed at something Dwayne had just said.

"And she'll never let you live it down, trust me, I dumped her when we were 13 and she still gives me hell about it" Guy appeared behind Charlie.

"Great so I'll be 90 before she forgives me" Adam sighed.

"Nah I'd say 89" Guy grinned.

"Smartass" Adam scoffed.

"Come on guys lets see if Allie's awake yet" Hayley grabbed Luis and Dwayne by their arms and led them out the door.

"I see she hasn't changed" Charlie laughed as he rounded the rest of them up.

No one had to ask Fulton twice.

"I bet you they'll be together within six months" Guy whispered to Adam.

"Who Fulton and Allie?" Adam asked.

Guy nodded.

Adam shook his head 'You're crazy" he decided.

"You'll see" Guy was certain.

"You're on" Adam said.

…...…………………………………………………………………………….

"You have some visitors" a nurse stuck her head in the door.

"Okay" Allie replied knowing who her visitors would be.

"Hey Allie!" one by one the Ducks plus Hayley, Linda and Sarah walked in.

"Oh she's beautiful" Julie gushed at the sleeping baby in David's arms.

"Wanna hold?" David asked.

"God yes" Julie held her arms out.

"Don't tell Scooter" Ken joked.

"Where is Scooter?" Allie looked around for him.

"He got a call from his dad" Julie explained.

"Oh" Allie said realising. Scooter hadn't had the best relationship with his father.

"You've named her" Fulton picked up the framed certificate sitting on the bedside table.

"Yeah" Allie said softly.

"I like it" Fulton said holding the certificate so that Sarah could read it.

"Me too" Sarah agreed.

"Well what is it?"

"Deanna Jessica Taylor-Portman" Allie announced.

"Deanna, I love it" Julie agreed. The others nodded their approval.

"Jessica after your grandmother?" David asked.

Allie nodded.

"And Deanna after Dean!" Averman announced.

"Duh!" Guy smacked Averman over the head.

"Well Miss Deanna welcome to the Ducks" Charlie said.

**A/N - sorry if the whole 'delivery' part is wrong, I've never given birth myself so I have no idea what happens.**


	41. Visiting the Past

"Hurry up Sarah we're going to be late!" Allie yelled up the stairs.

"I'm coming" Sarah replied dragging her suitcase down the staircase.

They were heading to Minnesota for a few days so that Deanna could spend some time with her grandfather and Allie could visit Dean's gravesite. Sarah was coming too since she was on school holidays.

Fulton wasn't making the trip, as he had to work.

It had been four months since Deanna was born and they were adjusting to life with a newborn. A few sleepless nights here and there were a part of it but overall Deanna was a fairly quiet baby unless she was hungry and whenever she was, she had a temper on her to rival her late father's.

"Fulton we're leaving now" Allie exclaimed wondering where on earth he was.

"Okay, let me say goodbye to my favourite baby girl" Fulton appeared at the top of the staircase with Deanna's nappy bag.

Allie handed him the baby and smiled when he started cooing and pulling silly faces, making Deanna giggle. He was really good with her.

"Are you all set?" Fulton asked Allie. He was a little worried about them driving all the way to Minnesota but Allie didn't really want to take Deanna on a plane just yet and the SUV was comfortable enough for a long trip.

Allie nodded looking at Fulton quizzically when she saw he looked like he'd just lost his dog.

"I'll take Deanna to the car" Sarah offered eager to get the trip started.

"Bye baby girl, you be good for mommy and aunty Sarah" Fulton kissed Deanna before handing her over.

"And you stay out of trouble Miss Sarah" Fulton laughed giving Sarah a quick hug.

"You too Fulton, no wild parties now that you have the place to yourself" Sarah shot back.

"Damn, you got me" Fulton grinned.

"Bye!" Sarah disappeared out the front door leaving Allie and Fulton standing in the living room.

"I'm gonna miss you guys like crazy" Fulton finally spoke.

"Fult its only for a week" Allie said but on the inside she was flattered that he would miss them.

"I know but you guys are like, I dunno, family I guess" he admitted looking a little sheepish.

"Well if its any consolation I'm gonna miss you too" Allie said softly.

"Really?" Fulton was surprised.

"Really" Allie affirmed stepping forward to give him a hug.

Before she realised what she was doing she'd pulled her hands up to his face and kissed him gently.

Fulton was too stunned to react in any other way than to kiss her back.

Allie suddenly realised what was happening and broke the kiss off.

"Oh my god I am so sorry" she was horrified she'd just put Fulton in that position.

"No its okay, I'm sorry" Fulton felt guilty for not pulling away sooner. He felt like a selfish bastard. He'd wanted to kiss her for so long that when it finally did happen he didn't stop to think about how it would make Allie feel.

"No that was my fault, I should um just go" Allie practically ran out of the apartment before anything else could happen.

Fulton stared at the front door as it swung shut not quite believing what had just happened.

She'd kissed him and freaked and he was now worried any chance he may have had of getting her had just run out the door.

...……………………………………………………………..

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked noticing that Allie looked a little strange when she got to the car.

"Huh?" Allie snapped out of her little trance.

"Are you okay?" Sarah repeated.

"Yeah I'm fine" Allie replied.

_I can't believe I just kissed him. I'm such an idiot_ she thought to herself as she double-checked that Deanna was strapped into her capsule. The baby had fallen asleep and Allie was glad. On such a long car trip she was bound to become restless and grumpy.

She got into the driver's seat and was aware that Sarah kept sneaking sideways glances at her.

"Really, I'm okay" Allie assured her.

"I didn't say anything!" Sarah protested with a grin.

"Whatever, lets go shall we?" Allie said brightly starting the car up.

"Dude I need your help" Fulton had decided to quit driving himself insane thinking about what had happened earlier that morning and get a third party's opinion.

"What's up? Is everything alright with Allie and Deanna?" Charlie asked.

Fulton had decided to call Charlie thinking that he was the closest friend he had now that Dean was gone and it wasn't like he could have talked about it with Dean if he were alive anyway.

_Not that Allie would have ever kissed you if Dean were still alive_ he thought.

"Yeah they're great, well Deanna's great, I think I may have messed things up with Allie though" Fulton admitted.

"What did you do?" Charlie asked sounding a little confused.

"Well she was saying goodbye to me this morning and somehow she ended up kissing me and I didn't stop her and she freaked and ran" Fulton told Charlie what had happened.

"Dude, she kissed you. You didn't actually do anything wrong" Charlie tried reasoning.

"Yeah, I didn't do anything at all. I should have known it would upset her though. Portman hasn't even been gone a year. Man why does everything have to be so damn hard?" Fulton replied.

"Dude it doesn't take a genius to see that she loves you. She's probably feeling guilty cos she feels like she's betraying Portman or something like that" Charlie said.

"I know how she feels" Fulton admitted glumly. He felt guilty every time he thought about being more than just friends with Allie.

"Just give her time, don't force the issue" Charlie advised.

"Yeah you're right, maybe she'll calm down when she gets back" Fulton mused.

"See? It'll be fine" Charlie said.

"Thanks dude, I'll talk to you later" Fulton felt better.

"Later man"

...…………………………………………………………..

"We'd better pull over" Allie said when Deanna started crying.

They'd been on the road for three hours and it was as good a time as any to take a pit stop.

"Oh that feels better" Sarah leapt out of the car to stretch her legs.

"Ew how much stink can come out of such a little thing?" Allie joked when she saw that Deanna needed a nappy change.

"Tell me about it" Sarah wrinkled her nose.

"Do you want something to eat?" Allie asked grabbing the nappy bag from the backseat.

"Yes I'm starving" Sarah exclaimed.

"Here's some money can you get me a sandwich and something for yourself whilst I change this one?" Allie handed Sarah a twenty.

"Okay" Sarah skipped off towards the diner attached to the gas station.

Allie grabbed the crying Deanna and locked the car door before heading into the 'baby changing station' next to the bathrooms.

"Oh yeah this one's the stinkiest one yet!" Allie told her baby playfully with a smile. Deanna just giggled at her smiling mother and made some random noises.

"Trust you to do it whilst daddy's not around to change you" Allie said referring to Fulton.

"I mean daddy Fulton" Allie corrected herself.

_What is wrong with me?_ She wondered when she became so damn attracted to Fulton.

"Oh no you don't!" Allie grabbed the powder from Deanna before she could squeeze the bottle. Last time Deanna got a hold on the powder, Allie and Fulton had been covered in the stuff.

Allie handed her the keys instead to play with whilst she put a fresh diaper on her.

She threw the dirty one in the bin provided and gathered all of the things up. Deanna would be ready for a bottle soon.

She made it back to the car to find Sarah waiting patiently beside it with the food in hand.

"I got you chicken cos the tuna looked kinda funky" Sarah declared handing Allie a sandwich.

"Thanks Bear" Allie replied opening the car. She placed her sandwich on the driver's seat as she got Deanna back into her capsule and handed her a pre-prepared bottle that she'd packed earlier in the morning.

"Hey is aunty Hayley gonna be in Minnesota when we get there?" Sarah asked. She absolutely adored Hayley.

"I'm not sure, wanna find out?" Allie handed Sarah her cell phone.

"Can I really call her?" Sarah asked amazed.

"Just this once" Allie knew she had to set a ground rule otherwise Sarah would be on the phone to Hayley 24/7.

Allie told Sarah to buckle up before calling Hayley as they were hitting the road again. Sarah did as she was asked and the trio set off towards Minnesota again.

...……………………………………………………………………………

Fulton was trying to concentrate on the Affidavit he had before him. His job was to check it against the file notes to ensure that everything had been included.

His mind, however, kept wandering back to Allie and that kiss. The photo he kept on his desk didn't help either and his eyes kept travelling to Allie's image, especially her lips.

"I'm going insane" Fulton mumbled to himself.

"Yeah talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity" his new assistant Casey entered the room with another stack of papers.

"Very funny" Fulton rolled his eyes and stopped looking at the 'family portrait' of himself, Allie, Sarah and Deanna on his desk.

"Hey I didn't know you were a dad" Carly glanced at the photo on the desk.

"I'm not" Fulton replied.

"So who's this then?" Carly was nosy.

"My best friend's family" Fulton replied.

"Why do you have a picture of your best friend's family? Wait is the girl your best friend? She's hot!"

"I'm aware she's hot and no that's not my best friend, well I guess she is now but my best friend is dead and that's his girl and his baby and his sister now will you just drop it!" Fulton didn't mean to sound so harsh.

"Sorry" Carly left the papers on the desk and left the room.

"What's up his ass?" she whispered to the receptionist.

"Don't ask Fulton about his family, its complicated" the receptionist explained. The entire office knew about Fulton's complex little family through the custody case for Sarah.

Fulton sighed and went back to his files. It was going to be a long week.

...………………………………………………………………….

"Hayley says she's coming to Minnesota and to tell you she has a new boyfriend and you'll never guess in a million years who it is" Sarah said all in one breath. She always got giddy and excited whenever Hayley was around.

_They are so alike its not funny_ Allie thought with a grin.

"I'll never guess hey!" Allie knew it had to be someone she either knew personally or someone famous that she knew of.

"Nope" Sarah replied.

"Well we'll just have to wait and find out then wont we?" Allie said glancing in the rearview mirror to check on Deanna.

"When are you gonna get a boyfriend?" Sarah suddenly asked and Allie almost choked.

"What?" Allie asked surprised.

"When are you gonna get a boyfriend?" Sarah repeated.

"Oh Bear, I'm not ready for a boyfriend" Allie said wondering if she'll ever be ready for someone who wasn't Dean, _or Fulton_ she thought surprising herself again.

"Fulton would make a good boyfriend" Sarah replied.

"What?" Allie was stunned even further.

"Fulton would be a good boyfriend. He's nice and funny and cute and he's good with Deanna. He'd be perfect for you" Sarah had obviously been thinking about this for a little while.

"Bear, Fulton and I are just friends" Allie answered carefully.

"I know but you love him and he loves you. You should be together" Sarah said as if were the simplest thing in the world.

"Sarah its not that simple" Allie replied.

"Why not? I know that Dean would be happy knowing you were being looked after by someone as good as Fulton" Sarah immediately clammed up wondering if she'd just overstepped the mark.

"We'll see Sarah, we'll see" Allie couldn't believe that Sarah was plugging for her and Fulton to get together.

_She didn't see them kiss did she?_ Allie suddenly thought. _Nah she couldn't have_.

"Okay" Sarah had let up on the issue, for now anyway. She had a plan to work on Fulton when they got back to Boston.

"Hey Allie?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah?" Allie hoped it wasn't going to be another Fulton question.

"Do I have to see my mom?"

"Not if you don't want to" Allie replied.

"I don't want to" Sarah replied. If she ever saw her mother again it would be too soon.

"We'll keep a low profile then, I don't want her anywhere near Deanna" Allie said.

"Can we visit Dean though?" Sarah asked.

"Of course we can" Allie was glad Sarah wanted to visit her brother's gravesite.

"Good" Sarah said softly before turning to stare out of the window.

...…………………………………………………….

"Mr Reed here are your messages" the receptionist handed Fulton a bunch of notes on his way back into the office.

He thumbed through them. Majority of them were from clients and other lawyers but he was surprised to find one from Allie.

"Did Allie Taylor say anything else?" Fulton asked.

"No sir, just that her and the kids were fine and they'd be in Minnesota before dark. She said she'll call you at home when she gets there" the receptionist reported.

"Okay, thanks" Fulton retreated back to his office. She couldn't be too mad with him if she was calling to let him know they were okay.

He got stuck into his work with a renewed sense of vigour. He was going to get his work done early and go home to await her call.

...………………………………………………………..

"Are we there yet?" Sarah was getting restless and Deanna wasn't helping either. She'd been good up until now and she was very, very cranky.

"Only another two hours or so" Allie reported starting to see Minnesota appearing on the mile signs and they were headed to Minneapolis.

"Argh that's two hours or so too long!" Sarah protested.

"We'll be there soon enough. Do you want to put a new CD in?" Allie asked.

"Yes" Sarah swept up the CD case in the glove compartment and started thumbing through the choices.

Allie was surprised when she heard U2's 'One' come blaring out of the speakers.

She hadn't heard that song since she sung it in High School. The night her and Dean had a major fight and he got drunk and picked a fight with Miles.

Allie smiled as she remembered how he looked so apologetic the next morning with a hangover. She even burst out laughing when she remembered his smile when Bash licked him in his sleep.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing, just remembering the good times" Allie replied.

You say, one love 

_One life_

_When its one need in the night._

_One love_

_We get to share it._

"Leaves you baby if you don't care for it" Allie started singing remembering the words.

"Go Allie!" Sarah exclaimed as Allie started 'dancing' behind the steering wheel.

Even Deanna stopped grizzling long enough to start giggling at the sight of her mommy.

When the song was over, Allie felt better than she had in months. She knew that after this week, she would be able to see things more clearly.

...……………………………………………………………………

"Hello?" Fulton snatched up the phone in the hallway. He'd been waiting for an hour and a half for Allie to call and he was getting worried.

"Hey Fulton, we just arrived at my dad's house" Allie's voice came over the line.

"Oh thank God" Fulton exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Allie asked.

"Yeah just worried about you guys" Fulton admitted.

"Aw how sweet!" Allie replied.

They continued chatting for a few minutes as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry for kissing you Fulton, you probably think I'm the worlds biggest idiot" Allie suddenly changed the subject from hockey to their situation.

"It's okay Allie, really" Fulton was taken aback. He honestly thought they'd skirt around the issue at least until she arrived back in Boston.

"We should talk though. Fulton I'm just so confused" Allie admitted kicking herself for just blurting it out.

"About what?" Fulton asked fearing what the answer would be.

"About how much I like you" Allie replied.

_Ah fuck it_ Fulton decided to just tell her.

"If it helps Allie I love you more than anything" Fulton admitted.

Allie stayed silent. She had a feeling he loved her but she had no idea how much.

"Sorry, I've just made it worse haven't I?" Fulton was mentally beating himself up.

"No, its just, I mean I love you too Fulton but I'm not sure I want to be having this conversation over the phone if you know what I mean" Allie said wishing they were having this conversation face to face.

"I know" Fulton was riding on cloud nine now that she'd told him she loved him back.

"Do you want to continue this when we come back?" Allie asked.

"Yeah, I just wish I could come down there right now" Fulton sighed.

"Me too"

"I would if I could, you know that right?" Fulton asked.

"I know" Allie replied truthfully. She knew damn well he'd do anything for her.

"So I'll see you in a week?" Fulton asked.

"Damn straight you will" Allie laughed.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

"Stay safe, I'll talk to you later"

"Bye Fulton"

Allie hung up the phone feeling more alive.

Before she could ponder over what was just said Sarah interrupted her.

"Allie! Aunt Hayley's here!"

"Coming" Allie yelled back remembering that Hayley was bringing a boyfriend.

_Oh my god how weird is this, I think I'm dating Hayley's ex-boyfriend!_ Allie thought grinning at Fulton's words, namely _I love you_.

Allie entered the patio area where she heard Sarah chatting excitedly and her father fussing over his granddaughter.

"Hayley!" Allie exclaimed rushing to give her best friend a hug.

"Allie! Oh my god you are like half the size you were when I last saw you" Hayley examined Allie's much smaller frame now.

"Thanks, I think" Allie replied laughing.

"So who's this boyfriend?" Allie asked eager to know.

"Funny story that, I was walking through Beverley Hills right when I found myself a stray Duck"

"You found a Duck in Beverley Hills? Don't they live in like ponds or something?" Sarah didn't understand the cryptic clues to Hayley's story.

"Not that kind of Duck sweetie. So who is it? Banksie?" Allie wondered who on earth Hayley could be dating from the team.

"Nope"

"Luis?"

"NO WAY!" Hayley was horrified.

"Averman?"

"No"

"Well it can't be Charlie, Linda would kill you"

"I know its definitely not Fulton" Allie said.

"Nope honey Fulton's all yours" Hayley gave Allie a cryptic grin.

"Will you just tell me already before I go get the yearbook out" Allie demanded.

"Hey Allie long time no see" a male voice appeared behind Allie.

Allie whipped around.

"Guy Germaine! I don't believe it!" Allie gave him a hug.

"Me neither, who'd have thought I'd end up with one of Eden Hall's sexiest cheerleaders" Guy grinned.

"What do you mean 'one of'" Hayley pouted.

"Sorry hon, I mean the 'sexiest' cheerleader on the planet" Guy corrected himself.

"That's better" Hayley grinned.

"Wow this is amazing" Allie couldn't believe that Hayley was now dating Guy Germaine.

_Oooh Connie would love this one_ Allie thought.

"So what are we up to this week then now that my favourite girl is back?" Hayley asked.

"I'm not sure" Allie replied smiling at her father who had Deanna on his lap trying to pull his glasses off.

"Charlie's having a party tonight if you want to come?" Guy offered.

"I guess, what kind of party is it though otherwise I'll have to leave Sarah here" Allie asked.

"She'll be fine, the Minnesota living Ducks will take good care of her" Guy advised.

"Dad?" Allie asked.

"Yes dear?" David answered.

"Are you busy tonight?" Allie asked a little reluctant to leave her daughter alone for a few hours. It wasn't that she didn't trust her father, more the fact that she would miss Deanna terribly and be worried about her constantly.

"No" David was hoping Allie was going to ask him to babysit.

"Wanna fulfil grandparents duty and babysit for a few hours?" Allie asked.

David's face lit up.

"Really?" he asked jumping at the chance to spend more time with his only grandchild.

"Yeah" Allie said hesitantly.

"Good then its settled" Hayley was happy.

...…………………………………………………………………………..

Charlie's 'party' turned out to be an engagement party for himself and Linda.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you" Allie told Linda as Linda proudly showed off her ring.

"So what about you and Fulton?" Linda asked slyly.

"What do you mean?" Allie replied coyly.

"Charlie told me you kissed him" Linda said softly so that no one can eavesdrop.

"I should have known it would get around the Duck's gossip line" Allie laughed.

"So is there anything happening?" Linda asked hopefully.

"Not much at this stage but I think we're gonna give it a shot when I get back to Boston" Allie admitted.

"That's wonderful!" Linda hugged her high school friend.

"Scary is what it is!" Allie protested.

"Why? You obviously love each other. We had bets going to see when you'd get it together" Linda pointed out.

"So who won?" Allie asked out of curiosity.

"Me!" Linda laughed.

"Figures" Allie laughed too.

"So Guy and Hayley huh? Never saw that one coming" Linda glanced towards the new happy couple.

"Connie doesn't seem too upset" Allie replied looking at Connie who was chatting excitedly with Hayley.

"No I thought she'd hit the roof, especially after the crap Guy gave her for getting with Adam" Linda sat back and took in the view around them.

"How could I forget that!" Allie laughed remembering when the Ducks found out about Connie and Adam at her house.

"I know I went to Charlie's dorm to straighten things out between us and the fight he and Adam were having was unbelievable" Linda laughed.

"Who's fighting?" Charlie had snuck up behind the girls and startled them.

"No one, just remembering the good ol' days" Linda smiled at her fiancé.

"They were good weren't they?" Charlie positioned himself between the two girls and putting an arm around each one.

"Yeah Charlie they were" Allie and Linda agreed.

...…………………………………………………………………………….

_You can do this, you can do this_ Allie repeated over and over in her mind as she pulled up in the parking lot.

She glanced back at Deanna who was smiling and making random noises to herself. She then looked across to Sarah who was staring out the window with a stony expression.

Wordlessly she got out of the SUV and made her way to the back to unstrap Deanna.

Sarah took this as her cue and also got out of the car retrieving the fresh flowers from the trunk that they'd brought along with them.

Allie shuddered at the memories this place brought to her. It was most definitely not a happy place.

They reached their destination. Deanna giggled the entire way whilst Sarah and Allie remained grim.

They were surprised to see fresh flowers already decorating the headstone.

_At least people come to visit him_ Allie thought sadly.

"Hi Bean!" Sarah said brightly than Allie would have expected.

"Hey baby" Allie followed suit.

Sarah plonked herself down next to the headstone and Allie sat on the opposite side holding a squirming Deanna on her lap.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet" Allie continued holding Deanna up.

"Baby this is your daughter, say hi to daddy Deanna" Allie was on the verge of tears now.

Deanna reached out and touched the headstone, trying to get a firm grip on it.

"She's so much like you its not funny" Allie continued.

"She is Beanie, she gets so mad like you do when she can't do something and she pulls the whole frustrated face" Sarah broke in making Allie smile. She knew the exact face Sarah was talking about.

"And Fulton says hi too" Sarah added making Allie jump.

"He does?" Allie asked not realising she said it out loud.

"Yes he does" Sarah replied firmly.

_How did he know we were coming here?_ Allie wondered.

_Of course he knew we couldn't come back here without visiting Dean_ she decided.

She set Deanna down as she put a bunch of flowers on Dean's grave. Deanna took great delight in trying to climb up on the headstone. After a few minutes however she grew frustrated and out came the facial expression Sarah was just talking about.

"See Dean there it is!" Sarah exclaimed laughing at her niece.

After another twenty minutes Deanna became restless and Allie asked Sarah to take the baby back up to the car. She'd be there in a minute.

Allie sat there for another ten minutes explaining the situation with Fulton to Dean's headstone.

"I know you want me to be happy and I'm trying but I'll never, ever forget you Dean. I love you and I always will" she said with tears spilling down her cheeks as she pressed her lips to the headstone.

"Bye baby" she whispered leaving the gravesite.

She had no idea that she was being watched. Watched by the very same person who had just left fresh flowers on Dean's grave.

Kate Portman had seen Allie, Sarah and the baby coming and had hidden herself behind some bushes.

She couldn't help but stare as Allie produced the baby as her and Sarah talked to the headstone.

_So that's my granddaughter_ Kate thought suddenly wishing things could have been different.

_Too late to change them now_ her inner voice told her.


	42. The Next Best Thing

"Yay we're heading home!" Sarah exclaimed as they were five minutes into the journey home.

"As much as I love Minnesota, I'm glad we're going home too" Allie smiled knowing what, rather who, was waiting for her.

The week was already over and they'd caught up with as many friends as they could. David Taylor loved having his two daughters (he'd taken to calling Sarah his daughter) and granddaughter visit and he'd promised to come to Boston for a few days in the coming months.

Deanna had fallen asleep from all the excitement and had been out like a light for almost three hours by the time they were ready to make a pit stop.

"I'm going to the bathroom. Stay here and watch her until I get back and keep the doors locked, I don't really like the look of those guys over there" Allie gestured to a couple of rough looking men who were leering at every female that walked past them.

"Okay but then can I go get a drink?" Sarah asked.

"When I come back" Allie answered thinking she'd grab Deanna and go with Sarah.

Allie shut the door and waited for Sarah to lock it behind her. When she was satisfied she made her way towards the bathroom.

She held her breath as she did her business in the dirty stinking room and got out of there as quickly as possible.

"Hey look at the blond over there" one of the men called as Allie made it back to her SUV.

"Oooh boys look a rich blond too" the men started to head towards the car.

"Bear unlock the doors quick" Allie hissed wanting to get away from there as quickly as possible.

Sarah did as she was told and saw the men approaching.

"Allie I'm suddenly not that thirsty anymore" she said in a small voice and Allie turned the key in the ignition and gunned it out of there before the group got too close.

"We'll stop somewhere else I think" Allie felt her heart racing. The group of men had definitely been intimidating. She could only imagine what it had been like for Sarah who had been through something that no one should ever have to live through.

The rest of the journey went uneventful with Allie and Sarah chatting about non-committal stuff such as their favourite songs and what they're gonna do when they get back to Boston.

"Bear Fulton and I have to talk to you when we get home" Allie said suddenly serious.

"No you don't I already know you two are kind of together" Sarah grinned cheekily.

"Oh you do now?" Allie didn't even want to know how she knew this.

"Sure I do, I overheard you telling Aunt Hayley and she screamed so loud it hurt my ears" Sarah laughed.

"She's got a knack for that" Allie laughed remembering Hayley's overjoyed reaction at the news.

"So you're okay with it?" Allie asked warily. She remembered Sarah's reaction her first night when she thought Allie and Fulton were sleeping together.

"Duh of course I'm okay with it you and Fulton are cute together and he's the closest thing to a daddy Deanna's got" Sarah informed Allie.

"If you're ever not comfortable with it I want you to tell me okay?" Allie warned.

"Sure but if he ever hurts you I'll kick his ass" Sarah replied very seriously and Allie couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks Bear" Allie replied.

……...……………………………………………………………….

Fulton frantically paced around the apartment trying to get everything organised for the arrival of his three girls.

He'd planted a huge bouquet of flowers in Allie's bedroom along with a smaller bunch of flowers in Sarah's room and he'd bought a new pink stuffed elephant for Deanna since she'd probably just eat the flowers.

He also couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. This was the day he was most looking forward to. The day when Allie would come home and he could kiss her without feeling guilty.

His co-workers had noticed a change in his attitude. He'd gone from the quiet, almost brooding law-intern to the happy-go-lucky guy who'd managed to impress the partners in the firm into giving him a full-time job when he was ready to graduate.

He couldn't wait to tell Allie that news.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice coming from outside.

"You sound more like Hayley every day" she was laughing.

He quickly adjusted his favourite bandana and made sure his shirt was untucked. He knew how much Allie hated it when he wore his casual shirts tucked in.

He rushed towards the door when he heard Allie swear and Deanna start crying.

He opened the door to find three suitcases on the floor, Sarah trying to suppress a grin and Allie wincing in pain whilst holding her screaming daughter.

"You should have let me help with those" Fulton scolded taking Deanna from Allie.

"Whatever" Allie was tired and grumpy. Not quite the welcome she was expecting.

She snatched the suitcases from the floor and hauled them inside whilst Fulton calmed the crying baby down.

"I'll take her Fulton" Sarah gave Allie a nudge and Allie looked ready to kill.

"Are you okay?" Fulton asked when Sarah had gone upstairs.

"Yeah I just have a huge headache, Deanna was fine until about halfway when she started crying and didn't stop for two hours. Finally she fell asleep but when we dropped the suitcases she woke up and started crying again" Allie flopped down on the sofa and held her head in her hands.

Fulton sat down next to her.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked softly.

"No but you can give me a hug and tell me how much you missed us" Allie said with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I can go one better" Fulton said cheekily as he reached over and scooped the blond into his lap.

"I missed you so much" he said laying a long awaited kiss on her lips.

"I missed you too" Allie replied kissing him back.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer letting the passion take over for a moment. Fulton wrapped his arms around her even tighter bringing one hand up to the back of her head where it got lost in her hair. He licked her bottom lip asking for permission. She granted it opening her mouth slightly to allow his tongue to gently enter and caress her own.

She let go of his lips long enough to kiss a trail down to his neck where she gently nibbled and sucked on the soft skin there. Fulton groaned and they knew they had to stop.

"Baby if you keep doing that we're gonna have to find a babysitter" Fulton said wishing they were alone.

"I know" Allie said a little disappointed and a little scared at the same time. She hadn't been this intimate with anyone in such a long time.

She lifted her face from his neck and faced him. Fulton greeted her with a smile. He hadn't been this happy for a long time.

She smiled back at him and laid a soft kiss on his lips.

"Guys are you done in there yet?" Sarah called making Allie and Fulton laugh.

"Yeah" Allie called back.

"She's okay with this?" Fulton asked surprised noticing that Allie had made no move to leave his lap.

"Yeah she was pushing for it before we'd even talked to each other about it" Allie laughed kissing his cheek.

"We should have listened to her then" Fulton grinned.

………………………...……………………………………………………….

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

Allie sat on the sofa watching as Fulton was playing with Deanna. The past six months with him had been six of the happiest in her life. She often thought about Dean and she wished he were still alive but she'd come to accept that he was gone and there was nothing anyone could do to bring him back.

She gasped in awe as Deanna grinned at Fulton and the distinctive sound of the word 'dadda' came out of her mouth.

Fulton was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Did she just say…" he asked in shock wondering if Allie was going to be upset about it.

"Yeah she did" Allie smiled leaping up off of the sofa and into Fulton's arms.

"Is that okay?" Fulton asked.

"Yeah, in many ways you are her father but she'll always know about Dean" Allie said kissing him on the cheek.

"Good, I want her to know how great he was" Fulton said seriously.

"She'll know. And she'll know how great you are too" Allie said cuddling into him a little further.

"dada" Deanna said again looking at Fulton.

"Her first word huh? And Charlie thought it would be 'hockey'!" Allie grinned.

"Yeah" Fulton laughed laying a kiss on Allie's forehead.

Allie smiled. Even though she'd lost the love of her life she'd found a new love, a different love that was every bit as strong as her first. She didn't have Dean but she certainly had the Next Best Thing.

**and that's the end of it! almost a year of writing, this is definitely the biggest fic i've ever written. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**


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